Superwomen of Eva: Tempest Aterna
by Archdruid-Sephiroth
Summary: A twist of fate drags Mayumi Yamagishi into the war between angels and humans.
1. Storm Warning

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion, or anything associated with it. If I did, I probably would have went a different way.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics including the X-Men series or its spinoffs, sequels, nor had anything to do with the debacle that was Juggernaut in X-Men: Last Stand. I am not the Juggernaut… bitch.

I was given permission to do this story by orionpax09, originator of the Superwomen of Eva series. This story is a standalone complex dedicated to the series. If it becomes a part of the overarching story that is SOE, well then that is awesome… Like Orion, I do these stories because I like to write.

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**Archdruid Sephiroth Presents**

**A Superwomen of Eva Story**

**Tempest Aterna**

**(Eternal Storm)**

**I: Storm Warning**

Simplicity is something many strive for in their lives. A life free of complications can only be comfortable and safe. No surprises means a life relatively stress-free, and no real sources of stress means a long and fruitful existence.

These simple truths were the driving force behind the meek 14 year old student named Mayumi Yamagishi. She was a girl who liked having no attention drawn to her, no complications and was as happy as a clam as long as everything remained in the status quo. If only her past were so amiable. At the age of 10 she had the bombshell dropped on her that her foster mother had had enough of her father and wanted a divorce. Apparently her father simply wasn't happy with her anymore and sought his enjoyment in the company of younger, more attractive women.

If that were not enough, he had also taken to drinking heavily and began to slip into an alcoholic depression over the mother Mayumi herself never knew. She tried to understand her father's loss of control but only felt more helpless about it. It apparently didn't help that she looked so much like her mother (even having the small mole in the same place), and as she grew up, her father did begin to behave strangely; almost doing things that could only be considered wrong but always pulling away before ever actually making contact. The fact that he was getting ever closer to doing something extremely inappropriate with her was making her very uncomfortable and afraid of him.

Eventually, the debacle between her foster mother and her wayward father was decided by a court of law, and custody of young Mayumi fell to her foster mother. In a way she saw this as a good thing but in another she knew it was somehow bad. She couldn't help but feel like her father's slide towards the darkness was somehow her fault, that maybe she made mama die when she was very young, and in some twisted way she was supposed to fill in the gap. Logically she knew she had nothing to do with her mother's death, and knew that what her father wanted from her was wrong, but in the mind of an emotionally unstable child, logic is never a factor.

Her foster mother wanted to get as far away as possible from her father and so they moved to a small suburb outside of where a new city was being constructed. The city was to be called Tokyo-3 and her foster mother decided that once residents could move into the city, it would be the new land of opportunity. Mayumi didn't share her enthusiasm. And instead spent a lot of time on her own doing the one thing she enjoyed doing more than anything else in the world… reading.

This was her pastime, her favorite activity. There was nothing quite as exciting to her as getting hold of a previously unknown piece of literature or technical manual and absorbing it word by word over the course of a few hours to a few days depending on its length. Perhaps on some level Mayumi was a believer in the adage "There is no knowledge that is not power".

A friend at school once told her this line and the friend was a bit of a gamer. She stated she had found it on a fighting game called Mortal Kombat 3 and it made the girl think of her. Mayumi liked the line, and saw truth in it but couldn't understand her friend's fascination with electronic entertainment. Besides… the second word in the name of the game was spelled wrong.

When she turned 14 she had the next major change come along in her life. Her "mother" finally decided it was time to make the move to Tokyo-3, despite the fact that it had already been attacked twice by unknown forces. Little news if any about the "Angels" had escaped Tokyo-3 except a video with bad contrast which some company called NERV denied was legitimate. Never-the-less, her foster parent was bound and determined to get there, and Mayumi had to say goodbye to the few friends she had managed to make again.

It was easy to get an apartment in Tokyo-3 as some residents had already left. School registration would prove slightly problematic though. Her foster parent tried to set her up in Junior High but the school was apparently behind on its paperwork and it would be another week before Mayumi can get back into classes. Mayumi spent most of that week reading and writing, making sure her formidable intelligence was ready for school. She dreaded having to meet all new people again.

Deciding it would be a good idea to learn the city, she ventured out. Her mother asked her to pick up a few things while she was out as well and Mayumi saw this as a good opportunity. Little did she realize that events were conspiring against her to make her life even more hellish than it had been.

Mayumi was different from other girls even if she didn't know it herself. Inside her body was a dormant S2 Organ about the size of a walnut. In every way, except size it was identical to another Angel, one that had not yet made its way to Tokyo-3 but was approaching even now.

As Mayumi wandered the street, she watched as the people went about their day, concerned with their own affairs. She kept her eyes low and tried not to let the glare from the sun invade her glasses and also avoid any direct eye contact with others. As she passed a restaurant, she saw people inside and a couple got her attention. She stopped and looked in, seeing a man and a woman eating together; smiling, laughing and enjoying one another's company. Inwardly she was a little envious of them.

Who would look at her that way? She was a bookworm with a questionable past and nothing to offer anyone. In a way, as sick as the idea was, even her father rejected her on some level. So she turned away, not wanting to face such thoughts and succeeded only in catching her reflection in the tinted window of a parked car.

Even she thought she looked like a nerd; dark brown hair reaching just past her shoulders with her bangs cut functionally above her medium brown eyes, a white button down shirt with a beige pullover and a pleated brown skirt to match. Then there was her mole. It wasn't huge by any stretch and in a way may only help to accentuate her facial features but there it was, just below and to the left of her lips. Her birth mother, she remembered being told, looked just like her… mole included.

Perhaps she had some hope in the future, but she wondered just what made her think about such nonsense now. So lost in thought she was, that by the time she heard the air raid siren that was echoing throughout the city, the evacuation had already finished. She suddenly snapped out of it and realized she was alone.

"Oh no," she whispered. The sirens were still blaring loudly, echoing over the city to the only set of ears still above ground to hear them. Mayumi had read about this from the brochures she and her mother were given when they arrived. She knew she had to get to a shelter now, but wasn't sure where the nearest one was. Before she even began to move, something startled her.

An indescribable wave washed over her and her heart began beating faster. She felt something familiar… something kindred but what? It was then that she heard the odd sounds, like a synthesized choir drifting over the buildings. Her eyes drifted there and she finally saw the source of the emotions.

To say it was massive was missing the point. The thing, as it could only be described as, floated slowly over the city. It was a massive mirrored Octahedron that, from her angle appeared to dominate the sky. It floated over her, blocking the sun. The mere presence of it was stirring something inside her, something primal despite its geometric beauty.

Inside of Mayumi, the sleeping S2 Organ began to stir, causing her blue cell count to increase slowly. Her veins pumped them around her body and they began to adhere to and change her cells.

It was at this moment that Mayumi became aware that something was wrong with her. She felt sick, dropping the pavement on her side and curling into a ball. She heard something in the distance and felt a twinge of power flicker inside her. All sight was impossible as her eyes clenched tightly but she knew what was happening. Magnetic forces coiled around the thing, sparks of electrical energy coiled around Mayumi at the same time. A powerful cluster of excited particles, enhanced to the point of plasma gathered along the lateral seem of the Angel gathering at a single point along its center line.

The feeling of energy flowing though Mayumi the same way caused the sickness to turn into pain. Her skin was on fire, and her flesh felt seared. She managed to get her eyes open in time to see a blue, humanoid, behemoth rise up from the ground.

"Angel," she whispered between pants. "This thing above me is an Angel." The pain lessened and she was able to slide into a sitting position with her legs sprawled to her right and leaned on her left hand. Energy suddenly lanced her again in the middle of her chest as the massive creature released an insanely powerful particle beam directly into the chest of the behemoth. The sudden lance of pain caused her to arch her back uncomfortably.

In her mind she heard a voice screaming **"Die false child of Adam! You will not stop me!"** In the end it seemed the behemoth could only take a few seconds of the intense beam before it was dragged back into the ground. The beam followed it as best it could before strafing the street stopping less than a hundred meters ahead of her. When the beam finally let go, Mayumi almost fell completely forward and was breathing hard. Near by she heard a horrendous sound and saw what appeared to be a massive drill extending from the bottom of the angel and grinding its way into the ground.

"What's… wrong… w-with me?" Her breathing was ragged, as if she just ran a marathon after smoking 2 and half packs of cigarettes. "Am I… somehow connected… to this thing?"

Unsteadily, she managed to get back to her feet and looked up at this geometric titan. "I wonder why it's drilling into the ground like this?" she said aloud. Mayumi realized she should be paralyzed with fear, running away like the little girl she appears to be, but somehow she found the presence of this creature oddly comforting.

"I must be connected to it, it is the only explanation. But how and why?" Mayumi did love a good puzzle but she knew there was no way she alone would be able to determine the truth of all of this. There is no factual reference she is aware of pertaining to something like this. Giant monsters like this were the works of fiction and myth, not fact and yet here one floats.

Mayumi frowned as a realization hit her. She'd been so naïve in her life, thinking anything that could be learned was open season for the intelligent person looking for the answers. The truth she now realized was that not everything is up for grabs.

"There is no knowledge that is not power," she whispered. _Men in power would hide particularly powerful knowledge wouldn't they?_

"**They would indeed,"** the alien voice responded. It was the second time she heard the voice in her mind. It was responding to her thoughts. Perhaps she would be able to communicate with it and try to determine what was happening here.

_What are you?_

"**I am Ramiel, Angel of Thunder and The Fifth Messenger, I have come for Adam, the First. I sense he is near."**

_Who is Adam?_

"**Adam is father to us. When we return to him, we will trigger the apocalypse, the Third Impact."**

She realized these creatures seek to end the human race. So that is what the Angel war is all about! _My god, I had no idea what was at stake._

"**You share your essence with me."**

_Yes._ It was an admission, a token understanding of their current status, such a clinical thought for such a wondrous link.

"**That is sad."**

_Why? _

"**When I die, you will cease to be…."**

Die?! Ramiel knows he is going to die? _Why are you going to die?_

"**I am attempting to merge with Adam. The Lilim won't allow this. Doubtlessly, they are developing a strategy to defeat me as we speak. I trust my feelings, and my feelings tell me I will die tonight."**

Mayumi felt sad at this realization. Even though she knew she was speaking to the enemy, that this thing she is connected to means to end mankind, it was still a part of her. Her, own life seemed meaningless compared to such a potent existence. And now she knew that her destiny was to die here with this monster, this thing she was connected to. But there was something she needed to know, a question that burned within her.

_Why are we connected?_

"**My embryo arrived on this world at the time of your birth, shortly after what you Lilim called The Second Impact. My energy adhered to your soul as you were born. I sensed you even then. It was a risk I was aware of when I was chosen as the Fifth Messenger and one I gladly took."**

Mayumi looked down at an uninteresting spot on the ground and felt a tear begin to well in her eyes. _I'm only 14 you know… I haven't had a chance to really live…never knew love…never knew any real joy other than my books._ As she began to cry full on, she slipped to a kneeling position and wrapped her arms around herself. _Now I'll never know… Why?! Why do you hate us so?!_

"**The Lilim have intruded upon holy ground and have done the unthinkable. They tried to possess and master Adam. They can not be forgiven."**

"_Who has done this! Tell me who I have to blame my ever shortening life on! Tell me!"_

"**We children of Adam know not who it was… but it is of no consequence. By ignorance or complacency, there are many Lilim who have fallen behind them. They dared to challenge us and now they will pay. I am sorry but this is the way it has been decreed to be. So it has been written… and so it shall be done."**

Mayumi continued to ball for a while before she finally slipped to her side and curled up. Hours later as the sun began to set and the grinding picked up again, signaling the starting point of another armored layer beneath the street, Ramiel decided to speak up again.

"**Why are you still here? You should be doing something, enjoying what little life you have left instead of just lying there like a vagrant."**

Mayumi turned on her back, looking up into the mirrored panels of the Angel and simply thought back her reply. The look on her face was almost thoughtful. _If I am to die… then I wish to die next to my brother…You may see us humans, or Lilim or whatever you call us as insects… I don't care anymore. I have never felt a connection like this before… it's comfortable…safe…I don't want to lose that._ She turned her head towards the cliffs, unaware of the preparations going on beyond them. _If I am to die, I wish to feel this until it is time… If I am destined to share your death, I will die at your side._

There she continued to lie. The mind of this creature was one she felt she could understand. In reality it wasn't too much different from her own; cold precision, cool analysis and unfeeling understanding. Reading was the closest thing she had to true joy and now she questioned if that was even joy. It mattered little; she would be dead soon… or so she believed.

* * *

Inside the Geofront, the techs were in frenzied motion. It was getting close to 0 hour, and Operation Yashima would begin soon. All the preparations had to be perfect… with so much electricity pooling into one spot, all of Japan's electrical power focused towards one purpose, nothing could go wrong. Every wire had to hold the load, every transformer had to operate at peak performance, every cooling system had to function at 110, nothing could be out of place.

Captain Katsuragi could not be more proud of her bridge crew. This was the sort of crisis they trained for. An operation that would bring her and her staff, and especially the Eva pilots glory. The window for victory was narrow but she had high hopes that this operation would go down in history as one of her most successful.

Lt. Aoba however, didn't share such sentiments. He had been monitoring an odd shadow underneath the Angel that was confusing the sensors.

"Lieutenant?" Came the voice of Misato. Shigeru almost sounded like he growled as he turned from his computer console to face his Captain.

"That odd blue/red pattern is still under the Angel. None of our cameras nearby survived to first attack so we can't even get a look at what it could be."

"Could it be Spirit?" Misato wondered aloud.

"No," came the response from Dr Akagi. "It's not her. The pattern is different and The Magi agree on this point unanimously. There is too much blue in the pattern for it to be her. Besides, she tried once to kill the Angel and failed, I doubt she'd try again. She has to understand now who the real Angel experts are."

Misato visibly frowned on that and turned back to his heavy metal Lieutenant. If this were a normal night, he would be rocking out, head banging with all of his hair sprayed about like an airborne mop, but now he was all business and watching that odd pattern like a hawk.

"Captain," came the small voice of Maya Ibuki. "It is time." Misato noticed the slight twinge of fear in her eyes and shot her a reassuring smile along with a friendly squeeze of her shoulder. This seemed to calm her down a bit more. Without another word, Misato turned towards the monstrous main monitor.

"Begin operation!"

* * *

Mayumi had managed to pass out underneath the massive shape of Ramiel, but a sudden alertness washed over her and she awoke.

"**A pity… I was hoping you would sleep though the end. There would be so much less pain."**

_What I feeling Ramiel?_ Awareness of something was washing over her. She suddenly realized she could see the energy as lines and patterns flowing over the hill side from sources far off. _I'm seeing the electromagnetic spectrum?! How?_

"**My arrival has awakened the part of me that lies within you."**

As she considered this, she tried to figure out where all the energy was going.

"What are they planning?" she said aloud as she watched the energy continue to pool. Finally she noticed something she didn't before. The humanoid gargantuan thing that Ramiel almost killed before was lying in heavy cover. She barely noticed it due to the darkness as only the energy flow revealed its location. A massive weapon on a bipod stretched out before it.

_Sniper… clever._

"**I told you they would find a way. I will not go down so easily though. I am almost through now."**

_What are you drilling for?_

"**Adam."**

The conversation ended there as the internal electromagnetic accelerators inside Ramiel and along its surface came to life again. Mayumi felt her pulse quicken as the electrical energy encircled her again, but there was less pain this time. In a few seconds Ramiel unleased a massive particle beam directly at the sniper.

At almost the same time, the sniper released a massive beam of his own. Mayumi watched with awe as the magnetic sheathing around both beams attracted then repelled on the same rotation causing the particles and the energy with them to veer off course, spiraling around like an insane dance before lashing out to strike unintended targets. To those without the ability to see the EM spectrum it looked like the beams slowed, corkscrewed and then continued, but seeing the event in its full glory, watching the energy pull apart and violently shunt back together again could only be described as terrifying.

Ramiel's beam detonated the moment it contacted the mountainside behind and to the target's right. It visibly flinched from the detonation. The beam the sniper unleashed struck the ground near a multi-story building and obliterated it, causing tons of steel, glass and stone to crash down upon the street before it and kick up a massive cloud of dust and debris clearly visible in the sun-like glow of the explosion.

"**Only one more chance at this… "**

Mayumi was knocked down from the explosion so close to her. She watched as Ramiel began to charge up another beam, feeling her body becoming electrically charged to mirror his build up. He fired but the beam it did not reach its intended target. Another humanoid mecha with a massive shield that resembled the bottom of a space shuttle blocked the attack.

As the sniper fired the second shot, everything seemed to slow down. Mayumi saw as the beam slowly approached, free of EM interference and dead on target. She felt her heart skip a beat knowing that when the beam struck Ramiel, it would be over.

"**So close and yet so far."**

_This is the end isn't it?_ She realized that time literally did slow down. Looking around confused she received her answer.

"**For me, yes. But not for you."**

_But you said we were linked! You said I would die!_

"**And I didn't lie to you. But… something is different about you, different from other Lilim. That you would so willing die with me speaks volumes of your nobility. I could not simply ignore that. So I will give you Lilim a chance to prove you are not simply the rebellious children we were led to believe. At the moment of my death, I will give you my power."**

_What?!_

"**Use it to discover the truth of this. Find out who was responsible for what happened to Adam, the true source of Second Impact, and bring them to final justice… Do this and the Lilim will be spared. Third Impact can be averted but it's up to you now."**

_Why are you doing this?_

"**Because you deserve to live… you deserve a chance at life, a chance to redeem the Lilim and because I must live on in some form… and now that my time is over, it is your turn to take up my mantel. You shall be the new Angel of Thunder! The Tempest Aterna! Through you, your race may yet survive!**

"**Thank you for showing me that there is another way… that their may yet be hope for a peaceful existence in this world with The Children of Lilith… but be warned. My brothers and sisters are still coming. They will attempt to succeed where I have failed; and they will not be so understanding. Good luck…."**

Before she could retort time sped up again, and Ramiel was lanced with the beam. She felt as if her own heart had been impaled, opening her mouth in a silent scream as her back arched painfully. In that same moment, a massive stream of electricity and soul energy poured from the bottom of the massive diamond that was once The Angel of Thunder and flowed into her.

Deep within her body, her S2 organ fully awakened, and began to pour blue cells into her body. The rapid changes allowed Mayumi to absorb the torrent of energy and knowledge dumped by Ramiel. The sudden jolting wave of energy caused Mayumi to fall to her knees and twitch as if she were clutching a live wire. Sparks struck and exploded around her randomly, exciting the air into a glowing aura akin to St. Elmo's fire.

When the energy finally abated, Mayumi fell backwards, breathing hard. She watched as Ramiel's body listed then fell over away from her. For a moment longer, she lingered before finally pulling herself up onto unsteady legs. Once she found her balance again, she walked towards the massive fallen body of Ramiel. As she approached, she caught her reflection on his silvery skin. She didn't recognize herself at first.

Her hair was longer and wavy instead of straight, but its most startling feature was the fact that it was whiter than new-fallen snow. Her vision was blurry so she removed her glasses, thankful they survived the ordeal. Now looking clearly at her reflection she saw her eyes were completely white, no pupils or irises or anything else. Not even veins were visible. She completely missed the part that she was able to see without glasses.

As her thoughts of her new appearance began to wane in her head, she realized fully now that the Angel… no, her brother was now dead. Gently she placed a hand upon the smooth surface and slowly glided it around. A tear fell from her eye as a wave of sadness fell over her. She head a distant roll of thunder but paid little heed to it before she finally dropped to her knees and began to cry.

Clouds began to filter into the skies seemingly from everywhere, covering the land like a blanket as more thunder echoed across the cityscape. Within moments, the sky unleashed a torrent mirrored by Mayumi's own tears of sadness.

"I promise brother," she whispered, "that your death will not have been for nothing. I'll find who started this war… and I will end them."

It was then that Mayumi truly realized what it was like to have a purpose. She had become the equalizer, the instrument to finally arbitrate the war between The Children of Adam and The Children of Lilith….

As she stood up she turned to face the great mountains that were now nearly invisible with the unleashed monsoon. The last of her tears faded as the wind began to howl like a ghostly wolf warning others of its presence. She realized she would still need to try to live a normal life, while fulfilling her promise to the Angel she called brother.

"I will live as Mayumi Yamagishi… but I shall fight… as Storm."

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A/N: This came out a bit longer than I anticipated but I hope I covered everything I needed to in the first chapter.

Orionpax09: Thank you for this opportunity to write in the series. I hope I have exceeded your expectations.

Please Read and Review, even if it is to tell me I suck. And if you dare, and actually like crossovers, FF6 and FF7, check out my ongoing story, "Of Shadows and Dust".

"IPSA SCIENTIA POTESTAS EST" -There is no knowledge that is not power


	2. Warm Front

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or any Marvel Comics entities used in this story. I'm simply a fan, expressing himself.

A/N: This took a while to create mostly because of all the stuff that's happened, partially due to my laziness and also because The Muse decided to take a vacation right when I was really getting into it. This chapter is a bit slow but necessary.

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**Tempest Aterna**

**II: Warm Front**

As the rain continued to pour down, Mayumi felt as if her world both ended and started over. She was determined to end the war, even if it meant killing those responsible although that in itself was the point of contention. Mayumi was a nerd, a bookworm, a child of a broken house and now an angel. What she wasn't, was a murderer. So immediately she began think of a way to fix this problem without bloodshed but realized after a short internal debate that bloodshed was unavoidable.

After her brother angel's death, Mayumi went home. The power had not yet been restored and most of the shelters haven't opened yet. So she bid her time, lying on the floor of her living room staring at the ceiling with her hands folded on her stomach. Here, she was lost in thought.

Her mission was foremost on her mind, but a close second was what was happening to her. She learned that her hair and eyes returned to normal when she wasn't powered up (this, she was sad to learn, included her farsightedness necessitating the use of her glasses again). This however wasn't the only major change. She realized she had not felt hungry or thirsty since she was transformed. Also she noticed that although she had been though a lot over the last twenty-four hours, she wasn't sleepy at all.

Her third concern was connected to the second; if she wasn't human anymore, how was she going to pass herself off as one? How could she return to her previous life? These were questions she couldn't answer but she was determined to solve this dilemma. This of course necessitated the use of a costume. She'd worry about that soon enough.

Inside her body, the S2 organ was beginning to take over all of her body's processes. Virtually no red cells existed in her body anymore, and her human heart was being broken down and absorbed by her angel core. As the core continued to take control of Mayumi's biology, her power potential increased and her cell structure changed.

This brings us to the last thing she was worried about, keeping her power in check. Mayumi is highly intelligent, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the cause of last night's as well as today's continuing monsoon. Somehow, her powers were connected to her emotions. When Ramiel died, she was very sad. It was the worst she felt in long time, and when those emotions came out, the sky blackened and the rain came down. She really wasn't looking forward to what would happen if she became angry, and she just knew she had to get it under control. Otherwise the next time she has PMS she might destroy all of Japan with a massive Super Typhoon.

Her eyes drifted towards the window and watched as the water continued to cascade down the panes of glass. The shelters should be reopening soon, which meant that her mother would be coming home. Sighing, she turned on her side and began to get up when the lights suddenly flickered on.

"About time," she whispered to no one as she walked to her room. Mayumi powered her computer back on and started searching for costume ideas online. Most of the ones she came across she rejected straight out as being either too flamboyant or too revealing.

Then she had epiphany… maybe revealing or flamboyant was the way to go? Flamboyant maybe not, the outfit had to be functional. She began searching for anything that might be of some assistance and she found a free program that lets you design clothing. Realizing that would help, she downloaded it and installed it. Once done, she started messing around with it just in time for her mom to come home.

Mayumi was very brief with her mother but assured her everything was okay now. The stress was more than enough to make her mom want to lie down anyway. Once she was safely tucked away in bed, Mayumi went back to her program and finished her project.

Since lightning was a big part of her powers, she decided on a set of copper plated, streamlined light gauntlets, barely thicker than a 1/8 of an inch. She designed similarly plated boots. Then, because the idea of a utility belt seemed appropriate, she designed one with many sections using the same color metal for it.

She decided to go more with revealing than flamboyant, with a ring about mid stomach holding the barely there lower and upper parts together. She ended it off with a black cloak with copper colored lining and a black hair holdback, all with copper edging. Mayumi looked at herself in the mirror and tried to imagine what the total effect would be like. When she succeeded, she blushed in embarrassment and felt like she had a winner. All that remained was getting the pieces.

Not surprisingly, the program asked if she wanted to purchase these items. Looking at the 54,000 yen price tag (about 505 US Dollars, or about 288 British Pounds) she cringed a bit but she knew she had much more than that saved up. The problem was going to be how to purchase it without anyone knowing she did. This was where her computer skills came in handy.

Using her skills, she hacked into a clothing manufacturer's database and assigned to have the clothing delivered to a warehouse address, which would then be rerouted several times before finally making it to her. The outfit would take three days to get to her, and she had a pick up location in mind for it. The chances of tracing it back to her were virtually nonexistent, especially since she used a fake name and a dummy account.

With that accomplished, Mayumi settled in for the night but she again found herself unable to sleep. So she meditated instead. School would start again for her soon and she hoped she was ready to go back to that grind.

* * *

Class 2-A appeared to be your normal junior high classroom, and no one outside of high ranking members of NERV knew its real purpose. Here the class was more than just a place to learn but effectively a holding pattern for prospective EVA pilots. Had Mayumi known this, she would have approached the class with much more apprehension than she did. Not that she wasn't apprehensive; this was her first day in a new school, and despite all the angelic changes in her body, human nervousness still prevailed.

"Class," the instructor began that morning. "I would like you to meet a new student." He turned to Mayumi and signaled her to take the initiative.

Mayumi walked up to the front and wrote her name on the board in kanji. Inhaling sharply to calm her nerves, she turned towards the class who all looked at her expectantly.

"H-hello," she said shakily. "My name is Yamagishi Mayumi. My mother and I recently moved here to Tokyo-3. Other than the recent angel attack, we really like it here. I guess that's all…um…" She blushed timidly as she noticed that two of the boys seemed more than simply a little interested in her. "That's it I guess."

"You may sit down Miss Yamagishi," the instructor replied.

"Hai sensei, arigato." Bowing politely, she found a seat off to the right of the room closer to the windows and in the back. Her eyes scanned about as she opened the computer terminal in front of her.

It suddenly occurred to her that the two boys were not the only ones who seemed to be paying an awful lot of attention. A certain brown haired, freckle faced girl in the front also seemed interested. Although the look on her face was almost… confusion? Maybe shock? Mayumi couldn't tell.

She knew the girl was the class rep since she called out the "stand, bow, sit" mantra at the beginning of class but why was she taking such a strange interest in her?

At lunch time, the girl approached her. Mayumi decided to stay in the classroom as she still had not finished updating her preferences on her computer yet.

"Hello," she said as she walked up.

Mayumi looked up at her and smiled a bit, though she noticed the girl was still acting a little peculiar. "Greetings."

"I'm the class representative. My name is Horaki Hikari; you can call me Hikari if you like."

Mayumi nodded. "Hikari then. You may call me Mayumi since we are being informal." She widened her smile a bit, trying to make her more comfortable. "Please sit down," she offered.

Hikari took the empty desk next to her. "You seem to have adjusted well," she said.

"I am trying," Mayumi responded. "It's weird coming to a city that could be a battle ground at any moment. I am concerned for my mother's safety."

"You're mother is alive?" asked Hikari looking a little surprised.

Mayumi looked at her oddly before answering her. "Well she's not by birth mother. My real mom committed suicide when I was very young. It's my foster mother I was speaking about."

"I see," Hikari said in a low voice.

"The way you asked that question," Mayumi started, but Hikari cut her off.

"Yes." Mayumi looked at her oddly. "None of the children in this class have a living biological mother."

Mayumi's eyes widened in shock. "That's… that's inconceivable…."

"Tell me about it," Hikari responded. "What are the odds?" Deciding that this girl might have some missing information for her after all, Mayumi decided to press forward and try to make a connection.

"Not sure I want to know. Ok, subject change." She leaned in closer to Hikari and noticed the girl struggling to keep from pulling back. "I heard that one of the pilots of those big robots that fight the angels is in this class."

Hikari smiled. "Yeah, actually we have the honor of two of them being here. Ikari Shinji, over there near the class clowns Suzaharra Toji and Aida Kensuke. Shinji's the pilot and Toji and Kensuke are his friends. The other is Ayanami Rei, but she's not here today."

"What's Shinji like?"

Hikari smiled. "Quiet, polite… but very anti-social, not violently, just very reserved. He's a lot like Rei actually but she's even more reserved. I never see her talk at all."

Mayumi noticed Hikari becoming increasingly uncomfortable around her. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh! No. Nothing… really."

Mayumi smiled her reassuring smile. "Hey, you can tell me. I'm not going to bite your head off or anything."

Hikari's smile faded suddenly. "I think I have to use the restroom." Then quickly she left Mayumi behind.

This left her a bit worried. Was the class representative able to tell that she was different? Did she know that she was an angel? No one else reacted that way to her so something was obviously different about her, and Mayumi was determined to find out what she knew. She waited 2 minutes then followed her.

Every living creature has a bioelectric field around their bodies. By invoking the smallest essence of her power, Mayumi knew that the way the field flowed about a person was like a fingerprint… unique to that individual. Following the bioelectric trail which was far too weak to be perceived by normal human senses, she found the girl's bathroom that Hikari entered. Strangely, it was a good distance from the classroom.

The other interesting thing she noticed was that most of the classrooms were empty and seemed as if they had not been used in some time. She decided it must be because of the evacuations. Setting herself for the task at hand she entered the bathroom.

Inside Hikari turned from the mirror where she appeared to be shaking and turned towards Mayumi with a frightened look in her eyes.

"Now I know something's wrong," Mayumi said as she entered.

"S-stay away from me!" she warned. "What in God's name are you?"

"Funny," Mayumi responded, sounding less childlike and more menacing, "I was about to ask you the same question. You act strange around me, almost as if you think you know something about me. Tell me what it is." As she made her demands, she approached slowly with a firm look on her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Stop it! You're scaring me!"

"Lair," she responded in an even tone. "You're not really afraid of me are you? But I can change that." And at that, she removed her glasses and her eyes began to turn white. Small jolts of electrical energy surrounded her arms as her hair began to turn white at the roots and slowly cascade down towards the tips. Her skin darkened and the mole that stood so prominently faded away.

"I have wings!" Hikari said as her own changes became apparent, including her angelic wings which tore though her school uniform in a blinding flash. She held a hand pointed palm towards Mayumi which began to condense pure white energy. "Get back!" she commanded.

Mayumi laughed as the angel alarms sounded and she powered down. "I should have guessed." Replacing her glasses then pushing them up with a single finger in much the same way Kensuke was known to. "So, the great Horaki Hikari is really this 'Spirit' everyone has been talking about." Her voice was no longer harsh, returning to the gentle and friendly tone she had the classroom. "You can calm down now, I'm no threat to you."

Hikari quickly powered down causing the angel alarms to shut down. This was followed by distant loudspeakers declaring a false alarm. "Y-you're not going to tell anyone about me, are you?" She looked genuinely nervous now and Mayumi guessed that few people, if any knew the truth as she did.

"Are you kidding, and risk exposing myself as well?" Hikari smiled at that. "Your secret is safe with me. Besides, I need friends not blackmail victims."

"You're not evil," she noted. "I thought the angels were out to destroy mankind."

Mayumi sighed. "We are," she responded. "My job is a bit more complicated though. It'd be a lot to explain but I'll say this for now. My mission is to bring about a peaceful end to this war. I don't know exactly how I'm going to do that, aside from killing those responsible for starting it but… I'm working on it. I don't want third impact to happen, and I'm sure somewhere in the minds and hearts of my bothers and sisters neither do they. However until I can end this… the war is going to rage on."

Hikari looked down. "You're brothers and sisters…"

"They only just recently became that to me. I became an angel when Ramiel, the 5th Messenger died. He gave me his essence and I think part of his soul."

"So you were human once? Like me?"

Mayumi nodded. "But Ramiel knew something I didn't. He knew I was born with an angel's heart inside of me; a small piece of himself. It was small and dormant but… I believe in fate and in karmic balance… what happened to me was meant to happen. I became the new Angel of Thunder… and I may just be the best hope for ending this war peacefully. Failing that… you're probably our best hope for ending it with a human victory."

Hikari frowned on that. "I'm not sure I like where this is going. If the angels attack, I won't hold back."

"And I don't expect you to." Hikari looked at her confused. "They may be my brethren," Mayumi clarified, "but they are soldiers in this war and casualties in such a conflict are inevitable. If I have to, I fight by your side… because if the angels achieve even one victory… the human race becomes extinct."

"So you're like me then," Hikari responded. "You're trying to help!"

Mayumi nodded, noting Hikari's posture was a lot more relaxed now. "And I may need yours. I don't yet know how you could help me, but you're part angel yourself… in a way that makes us sisters."

Hikari smiled warmly at that. She then turned her attention back to her school clothing. "How am I going to explain away this?"

"I was given school uniforms when I came here but as you can see, I don't use them. These cloths are sufficient and the administration here told me I could wear this. My uniforms are in my locker and you look like you're the same size as me. Wait here; I'll grab one for you."

"Thank you," she replied, sounding a bit more relaxed herself. "By the way, when you go all angel like I do, what do you call yourself?"

Mayumi smiled and replied, "Storm."

They returned to class a few minutes later, no one in class was the wiser of what had transpired.

* * *

The second half of the day was punctuated only the occasional jeering Mayumi was hearing from the boys Hikari told her about. Shinji was the one that was highest on her list of priorities. She stole a few glances in his direction during the day and wondered which of the two Eva's she saw the night of Ramiel's death was his. Despite his seeming lack of confidence and reserved exterior, she guessed he was the trigger man.

Being extremely intelligent did have its downsides. First and foremost was that fact that she was absolutely bored out of her mind. The sensei droned on an on about the second impact and it seemed as if, there would be no end to it. She knew it was a cover story because Ramiel knew the truth. Barring that, he taught nothing useful to her.

She decided that this high school was not likely going to be enough to fill her thirst for knowledge… at least the class wasn't. So, once the last bell rang, Mayumi made her way to the library and straight to the non-fiction section. She spent the better part of an hour jumping between sections finding a good cross section of books on the occult, religion, physics, biochemistry, philosophy and electronics. She carefully picked up the books and turned to leave the library when someone ran into her causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards onto the floor. Her books did a fantastic impression of an exploding windmill on the way down.

"Go-Gomen nasai!" she said quickly as she started back to a sitting position and realized she had said it at the same time as the boy she ran into. Still half propped, she looked on to see that she had knocked down the boy who ran into her as well, and realized it was Shinji Ikari.

She also realized that he was looking at her confused and that she was still sitting in a position where her panties were full view for him. Blushing, she quickly pushed up to a kneeling position and her hands held her skirt down.

"Oh! G-Gomen… I-I didn't mean to look! Honest!" came his nervous apology.

Still a tad red she looked away. "It's ok… it couldn't be helped."

"Here let me help you," he said as he got back up and offered a hand down to her.

"Arigato," she replied as she reached up and took the hand. Once she was back on her feet she said, "You're Ikari Shinji aren't you?"

"It's just Shinji," he replied. "But yeah, I am."

She bowed to him. "My apologies, I don't know what made me freeze like that." She observed his face turning even redder at the mention of the incident.

"No I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have stared."

She smiled at him, assuring him that she was not mad.

"What a load," he commented as he looked at all of the books sprawled out over the floor.

"Yeah, a little light reading."

"This is light?" he said with an astonished look on his face. It made her giggle, something she hadn't done in a while.

"Well, our sensei isn't really teaching us anything so I have to get my daily fix of new knowledge somewhere."

"You must read a lot then," he said, more of a statement then a question.

Mayumi nodded as they began to pick them back up. "One of my favorite pastimes. So what do Eva pilots do for fun?"

Normally Shinji hated to be reminded of his job, the thing he hated so much, but the words just ran off of him like water cascading down a mountainside. "I listen to music mostly. It helps clear my head."

"It must be hard doing what you do to protect us," she whispered, sounding very concerned.

Shinji stopped what he was doing. For a moment, she wondered if she had said the wrong thing. "I... I hate it," he whispered. "You can feel everything, every laser burn, every cut, every bruise, every superhot particle beam to the chest… all of it."

Mayumi shifted next to him. "That's terrible," she whispered trying to consol him.

"I really shouldn't be talking about it," he said after a moment. "It's a lot of classified stuff, and if I say the wrong thing…."

"What will happen if you slip?" she asked again, sounding even more cautious.

"Something could happen to you." Mayumi realized that whatever that 'something' was probably involved black bags and dark colored vans. Not that that would stop her, but it would also expose her.

"I won't press then." She looked at the stack of books she had. "I'm not sure if I can take this all home in one go. Um… could I possibly ask you for a really big favor?"

Shinji looked at her questioningly.

"I know we just met but… do you think you could help me get all these back to my home? I know its probably asking a lot of a perfect stranger but… you seem really nice and I could use that being new here and all." She sounded about as demure as she could which wasn't hard. He seemed like a really likeable person. Despite the fact that she needed information from him, she wanted to be his friend. Somehow she knew they both wanted the same thing, even if he didn't realize it himself.

Social interaction was not exactly Mayumi's field of expertise. Before her transformation into Storm, she was about as mousy and reserved as one could get. Since then, not too much has changed but deep down she had a lot more confidence and a lot less fear. Her encounter with Spirit in the girl's restroom today proved she was willing to take chances now. But there was always a nagging doubt in the back of her mind… something that would keep her from trying anything too risky, even if it really wasn't.

"I… well…" Shinji tried to get his composure. She could tell he thought she was attractive in her own way, and he seemed like the shy type that doesn't actually get asked to a girl's house. Inwardly as Shinji stuttered out a response, she wondered if this was too much too fast.

"Where is your apartment?" he asked at length.

Her expression became hopeful. "I have an apartment off of Yoichi Blvd. It's not far from Goshen Street if that helps."

"I know where that is," he replied. "That's not very far, and my guardian is going to be working late so I'm not expected for a bit… Sure, I don't see why not."

Mayumi smiled as she realized this was going even better than she had anticipated. She runs into him accidently and now she's getting closer to him. It wasn't ideally how she imagined this to work out but she thought she improvised that situation rather well.

"Arigato, Shinji-kun."

End of Chapter 2

* * *

A/N: Chapter 3 will increase the tempo a bit. I didn't originally plan to have Spirit play a direct role in Mayumi's story but it seemed right to me. As to cameos from other Superwomen, let's just say time will tell. As Shinji was such a big part in the game Mayumi came from, it seems right to have him playing a larger part in her story.

Just want to thank everyone who reviewed chapter 1. Good suggestions all around.

Orionpax09: Thank you for your kind words and giving me the inspiration to try my hand at this.

Zoro50: Sorry, Grammar wasn't my strongest point in High School, but I do try. If my word usage has you confused, maybe you can recommend a good Beta?

Mike313: I tend to start slow and build up momentum as I go along. And you have to understand the exposition here is actually kind of important. Unlike Asuka, Rei and even Mana, Mayumi is not a very well known character at all. She showed up in one very short Sega Saturn game and like Mana is not considered a "cannon character". I felt that most people probably don't even know who the heck she even is although it's obvious there are some who do. I know I didn't and neither did Orionpax09.

All: This is probably the last time I'll try to explain myself for my writing style. I'm mostly writing this for myself and if people enjoy it, so much the better. If it bothers you that much that I write this way, go read something else. I do not live or die by reviews… I do not cater to the masses… I walk my own path. If others follow me, so be it.


	3. Sympathetic Currents

Disclaimer: You already know what I'm going to type here so why am I even bothering with it... I don't own EVA, I don't own Marvel, I don't own the rights to anything... blah blah blah, yeah we've all been here before.

A/N: The muse is a funny thing isn't it. I mean... I wrote chapter 1 over a month ago and then it took me a while to get the second chapter up. Now its been just over 24 hours and Chapter 3 is now posted... Yeah the muse pretty much drop kicked me today. Thankfully as the session has slowed at bit I've had time to get all my dribblings down on paper...

And it shows... over 5,500 words. All I can say is wow... I couldn't stop today. Here's hoping this doesn't let up any time soon... I can get used to this.

A/N Part 2: This chapter is a bit sappy at times and its really just building up towards something bigger. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing the blasted thing.

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**III: Sympathetic Currents**

In post 2nd Impact Japan, Summer was always an interesting if slightly oppressive time of year; it was hot, it was bright, and it was long. To Shinji's surprise however, the walk to Mayumi's home would not be so bad today. Unbeknownst to him, Mayumi conspired to make the trip home as easy as possible for him, since he was kind enough to help her in the first place.

Rather than an oppressive sun blaring down upon them, he was delighted to see the sky had become overcast, and a cooler breeze was blowing keeping the normally trapped midday heat down to much more bearable levels. Shinji assumed it was likely just an after effect from yesterday's monsoon that struck after his battle with the 5th angel.

But Mayumi knew better, although she had to admit this was an abuse of her power. That didn't bother her at all, since she felt like she was doing not just Shinji and herself, but the entirety of Tokyo-3 a favor.

As they continued onwards toward Goshen Street, the body of the fallen angel came into view between 2 massive buildings. Mayumi felt a pang of sadness seeing the body of her brother there, along with the cranes and scrambling individuals intent on gleaning what secrets they could from him. She felt it was disrespectful of the dead, but knew that the Lilim didn't see it that way.

_Lilim… when did I start referring to my fellow humans as Lilim? Didn't Ramiel call them that?_

"So," came the voice of Shinji Ikari, rousing her out of her inner thoughts. "How do you like our school so far?"

Mayumi smiled a bit. "Well, it is pretty advanced. More advanced then my last school. And the people seem nice!" She tried to be as cheerful as possible, dragging her mind away from the sad events of yesterday.

She knew the depressive state she was in was causing the moisture in the atmosphere to begin to condense, and the last thing she wanted was to get Shinji and herself, along with all the books she borrowed, soaked in rainwater.

"That's good," he replied.

_He's very reserved, _she thought_, it will be hard to get to know him if he doesn't talk more. But how?_

Then the light clicked in her head. "So are we going to learn real world skills or is the sensei always going drone on about 2nd impact?"

Shinji smirked for a moment… then giggled a bit. "I wouldn't count on learning anything pertinent," he said at length. "Just do what the rest of us do and shut him out. He won't notice."

"That's too bad," she replied. "I guess I'll have to stick with books for a while then."

Shinji looked over at her for a moment but turned back to looking towards the ground the moment his eyes met hers. "Well I… I can always help… you know… carry the books."

Mayumi's mind froze for a second. Was he showing a bit of backbone and being forward. By the way he was speaking, she could tell this wasn't something he was used to, but something about her was making him more comfortable. _Perhaps I am playing my part well after all._ Though she thought this, she knew she wasn't acting at all. He was a nice boy and she thought the idea of getting to know him would be good, for more than just her mission. She would try as she thought she could actual grow to like him… that way.

The thought made her blush. She never thought that in her entire life someone would actually fancy her that way. She remembered the couple in the restaurant on the day of the 5th angel's attack and how she felt about seeing them like that. Now, she might very well get to experience what that was like.

"I'm sorry," Shinji said quickly, knocking her out of her thoughts.

"For what?" she quickly responded noting the redness in her face. She decided to try to not make direct eye contact for the moment.

"I embarrassed you," he said.

Mayumi stopped walking causing Shinji to freeze. The look on his face indicated that he believed he did something wrong.

"No you didn't," she replied with the faintest indication of a stutter. "It's just that…". Mayumi sighed softly before she continued. "No one other than my foster mother has ever been kind like that to me…"

It wasn't a lie; Mayumi was always different growing up… segregated from the rest of her peers because she was too nerdy, was a teachers pet, she looked weird with the mole on her face, she wore glasses, she was too reserved... so many reasons they treated her like an outcast, many of which she didn't even care to remember, and some of which were completely untrue.

And by the look in Shinji Ikari's eyes, he understood her pain. Without even getting to know this boy fully, she could see the mark of an unhappy childhood marred by segregation and ridicule. It must have been a childhood where he felt no sense of self worth and wallowed in a pointless existence. That thought made her very sad.

It wasn't until she felt the first drop of rain on her nose that she realized she let her control slip. For a moment she tried to get it back but it was too late. Shinji suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her under the cover of a bus stop's awning as the rainfall began to accelerate.

"Looks like we're going to be a little late," Shinji said sheepishly.

"Yeah," Mayumi replied… sounding a bit distant. Inwardly she was too busy chastising herself for letting her control slip. It would take time for her to reassert her control on the weather. If the last monsoon she caused taught her anything, it was that sometimes Mother Nature simply won't listen to reason, especially if events leading up to an inescapable conclusion are allowed to progress like they just did. It would seem knowing her capabilities was not enough to give her control over them.

Thankfully, Mayumi knew the rain would not last too horribly long.

"Its been like this since yesterday," Shinji commented.

"Yeah," she replied sounding disconnected.

"Is… something wrong?" he asked her.

Mayumi forcibly turned her inner dialogue off and responded, "no, just thinking that's all. Thanks for the save by the way."

Shinji smiled a bit. "My pleasure."

* * *

"Report," came the voice of the most powerful man in Japan.

Standing before the massive and ancient looking desk in the massive atrium that was his office, was the Director of Operations Captain Katsuragi Misato. She had been standing there for about 30 seconds before the Supreme Commander decided to finally acknowledge her.

"At slightly before 13:00 hours today, the Magi detected a Blue/Red pattern in the downtown district. Barely more than a second later, a Red/Blue pattern consistent with Spirit also appeared in the same area. The fields were active for less than 5 seconds before they faded out. The Magi were unable to get a precise fix on the location."

The Commander was silent for a moment, with his eyes still low and his hands still folded. He retained his poker face making no indication of what he was thinking visible to the Captain. "What are the odds that this was a sensor glitch?"

"Virtually none," she responded immediately. "The signals were too strong to be an echo of any form."

"I see," he replied, still keeping his voice level. "What are your thoughts Captain?"

Misato paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "I honestly don't know Commander. It's possible that Makoto's observations from yesterday about the Blue/Red pattern being another entity are not entirely unfounded. And if this is true, there could have been a momentary conflict between whatever caused this pattern and Spirit. However it was over too fast to be a full scale conflict."

"Very well," he replied with the same unnerving tone. "Have Dr. Akagi go over all the notes and data with extra scrutiny. I want observations and theories as to what this is before end of business tomorrow. "

"Yes sir," she replied.

"In the mean time, you had best get ready for your trip. When you get back I expect a full report on what you witnessed and a full rundown of the observed capabilities of this 'Jet Alone'. Dismissed Captain."

"Sir!" And with that, Misato left the room.

Kozo allowed himself to move back to his chair next to the desk now that the Captain had left. "So what will our next move be?" he asked.

"There are far more variables here than I was ready to address," Gendo replied. "Spirit herself has added an unstable element to an otherwise almost perfect scenario. The idea that there could now be two of her is cause for concern. How long can we keep this from the old men?"

Kozo thought for a moment. "Not long enough. By now they may already know about this incident. I don't have to tell you Ikari, that the situation with Spirit has already made them nervous."

"I know old friend," he conceded. "Which is why we need to find out what we are dealing with and determine the best course on how to remove this unstable element. The scenario can not be altered and I will do what is necessary to see to that."

"Of course," the Sub-Commander replied.

* * *

Almost 10 minutes went by before the rain finally stopped allowing Mayumi and Shinji to continue their walk. Within 5 minutes they were finally arrived at Mayumi's apartment.

"I'm home!" Mayumi called out. "And I've brought a guest!"

Upon hearing this Mayumi's Foster Mother Nariko, walked out from around the corner. "Welcome home," she said with a smile. "And who's this?"

"Mom, this is one of my classmates, his name is Ikari Shinji."

Shinji bowed politely to Nariko with a smile. "Hello. I'm glad to meet you."

"Likewise," she replied. "He's so polite, and handsome too."

"Mom!" Mayumi nearly yelled in exasperation as she began to blush fiercely. Shinji blushed too but Mayumi completely missed that.

"Oh stop that Mayumi," Nariko started, "I'm just glad to see you've made a friend." Although Mayumi could see though her mother's intentions. Of course even she admitted to herself that Shinji was pleasing to the eye. "I see you've brought home about half the library as usual." She turned to Shinji. "Did my daughter drag you into becoming a pack mule?"

"Mom!"

Even Shinji chuckled this time. There were some similarities clearly visible between Mayumi's mother and his own guardian that he picked up on, specifically the teasing.

"Oh ok, I'll leave you alone. Will you be staying for dinner young man?"

"Unfortunately no," Shinji replied. "The rain slowed us down a bit and I think it'd be wise if I only stayed for a few minutes incase the rain started up again."

Mayumi was clearly disappointed about this but kept it to herself. "My room is this way," she said. She lead him into her room and they began to unload the books.

"You really read a lot huh," Shinji asked, trying to start up a conversation again.

"Like I said, all the time. Lately I've been looking at advanced sciences."

"I see that," Shinji said with his eyes still a bit wide at the sheer display of books she owned. His eyes fell upon her bookshelf which had 5 shelves and took up about a third of one of her walls. It was full of books on science and technology. There were so many that 3 large stacks were also on the ground next to the bookcase. Many of the books had numerous bookmarks in them and post-it-notes stuck to the edges of the pages like poor man's index tabs. "I didn't realize it was possible to read this much!"

"Well I do usually have a lot of time on my hands," she responded.

Shinji looked down for a moment before grabbing his now mostly empty bag. "I should get going, I still have to cook dinner and make sure its ready for my guardian when she get's home."

"You're guardian? Where is your father?"

Shinji's eyes grew cold. "My father is Supreme Commander of NERV… he doesn't have time for me." His voice was sardonic, almost malicious for a moment. It was enough to make Mayumi take a step back from him.

"I'm sorry I asked," she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Shinji looked embarrassed at this. "No, I'm sorry… I don't mean to take it out on you. It's just… he makes me so angry." His eyes grew cold again. "He's part of the reason I have to pilot EVA. I hate him." The sheer amount of venom on his tongue when he said that left a bitter taste in even her mouth.

"I'm sorry he's not man enough to take responsibility himself," she said tentatively. "But it makes him a loser. If it makes you feel any better my father wasn't much better… not after mom died."

Shinji shifted his attention from his own worries back to Mayumi's. "How so?"

"Well he…" she stopped, realizing what she was about to say. "Never mind, I shouldn't talk about this."

"Why what is it?" he pressed.

"I…" Mayumi tried to talk but the words were not there. They caught in her throat like an insect in a Venus Fly Trap, unable to break free. Her eyes watered up as the emtion behind the past came up to the surface like a geyser. "I can't," she whispered as an unbidden tear tried to break free of her eyes and a rumble of thunder echoed over the valley that was Yoichi Avenue.

The more she thought about her father, the more she wanted to forget about him completely. He hurt her… not physically but emotionally and mentally. His actions were confusing and she knew them to be wrong but he was her father. Deep down she knew that if he had pressed forward and actually went though with his desires, she wouldn't have stopped him.

That made her feel dirty and weak. It was wrong… utterly and completely wrong and she would have allowed it to happen for his sake. She loved her father, even if her foster mother was more jaded toward him. Nothing in the world could change the fact of the matter, at least in her own mind, that she was just as guilty as he was.

As Mayumi attempted to stop herself from crying, Shinji froze, unsure of what to do. He wanted to offer her comfort but was scared to do so. Steeling himself internally and keeping his mantra going in the back of his mind, he took a chance and drew closer to Mayumi who was now turned away from him.

Mayumi really didn't want him to see her crying like this. It was the second time today she let her control slip because she couldn't keep her emotions in check, and both times it was in his presence. As she struggled to keep herself from full out balling, she felt a gentle hand on her upper back rubbing slowly in a circle. The added comfort from Shinji was too much and she gave up control in favor of embracing the compassion of her peer.

Shinji was not expecting Mayumi's reaction to his attempts to comfort her and was completely off guard when she suddenly clung to him and started silently crying. At the same moment, the rain came down again in a torrent. He tentatively wrapped his arms around her as another rumble of thunder echoed outside, this one louder than the first.

He said nothing and simply let her cry. Soon enough, she began to recover from her emotional break and begin to pull away from him. Shinji noted that the rain slowed at that exact moment.

"I… I'm sorry," she whispered. "We only just met and already I'm crying on your shoulder." She sniffed while looking down at her bed. "You must think I'm totally pathetic huh."

"I don't think that," he answered immediately. "I don't know what you've been though. But if you ever want to talk about it… I'll be ready to listen." A light smile formed on his mouth. It made Mayumi feel better, even though she said nothing to him yet.

"Arigato, Shinji-kun."

The suffix use took him off guard but it made him feel good inside that someone would refer to him like that who wasn't Misato. "No big… just trying to help."

* * *

He left about 10 minutes or so later after making absolutely sure that she was ok. After he was gone, she collapsed on her bed, feeling a little drained. At that moment, her computer began to beep. She turned her head towards the monitor and saw that a notification icon in the lower right was blinking indicting she just got a new email.

Groaning a little she got up, stepped over to her computer and opened her email program. The email was from one of the delivery companies stating her package should arrive tomorrow morning, almost 24 hours ahead of schedule.

"Damned efficient," she whispered, "and extremely bad timing." She wasn't expecting the package until Saturday, and now she comes to find out that its being delivered tomorrow… during school hours.

"How to do fix this? Wait, I know!" She grabbed her cell phone and dialed her new friend. Mayumi was glad they exchanged phone numbers today at school.

The phone rang twice before Hikari picked up.

"Hello?" came her voice.

"Hey Hikari, its me… Mayumi."

"Oh, hi!"

"I need a really big favor. I know its asking a lot seeing as how we just met but since you're the class rep, I figured you'd be the best person to call."

"What's wrong?"

"I have an important package I need to pick up tomorrow so I won't be in class for the 1st half. It's a uniform for my… job."

Catching the clue, Hikari responded, "I see. Well I can make a copy of the notes for you for the first half of class. That's not a problem. Just try not to make this a constant occurrence."

"I really didn't mean for this to happen but the uniform supplier apparently got ambitious and the delivery was suppose to be Saturday instead of tomorrow."

"I understand. Don't worry I'll take care of it."

"I owe you one."

"You'll let me see it after school tomorrow right?"

Mayumi smiled. "Yeah I will. I think you'll find it interesting."

"I'm not sure how to take that."

Mayumi chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

"Ok."

Mayumi hung up, feeling relieved that that was taken care of.

* * *

The next day, Mayumi found one of her mother's office uniforms from when she was younger and "borrowed it." She then proceeded to leave the house in her school uniform with an extra bag.

She had rented a suite in an office park for this occasion. The owner didn't ask questions as to why the office was only being rented for the weekend, which worked out well for Mayumi. She waited in the suite until the delivery truck arrived then walked out the front door to meet the driver. After a quick exchange and an ID check (with a false ID), she signed for the package and waited until he left before locking up and leaving herself.

On her way to school, she stopped at a public restroom and changed into her school uniform. Then she waited about 20 minutes before leaving for class, just to make sure there was little chance someone would see her leave in different clothing. She arrived back in school during the second half of lunch and sat next to Hikari.

"So," she asked expectingly.

"I got it," Mayumi replied. "Thanks for covering for me."

"No problem. You know, Shinji's been asking about you."

Mayumi's face visibly reddened at those words. "Really," she whispered.

Hikari smiled. "Yeah, he was worried about you. What happened between you too?"

"I'm not going to go into that right now," she replied as her face reddened further. "My mom is working late tonight, so we can go to my place for the you-know-what."

"Ok." Right as she replied the bell signally the end of lunch rang causing both girls to gather their belongings. "I'll have to call home and make sure my sisters know I won't be home immediately. I'm sure Kodama will be thrilled that I'm not spending Friday cooped up at home."

"Kodama?"

"Oh," Hikari responded. "She's my older sister. She keeps telling me to get out more."

Mayumi giggled a bit at this. "I'd hate to hear what she had to say about me! I never get out."

Scene change

About halfway though the second half, Sensei had to leave the room for a few moments leaving the students to talk amongst themselves. Not surprising in the least to Mayumi, Shinji made a b-line to her desk. She noticed Toji and Kensuke whispering back and forth about their friend's sudden departure when they realized where he was going.

"Hey," Shinji said as he approached.

Mayumi looked at him and smiled. "Hi, Shinji-kun."

"Where were you this morning?"

"I had some things to take care of," she replied. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday."

Shinji smiled a little. "You apologize almost as much as I do." This got her to chuckle a little. "And its fine… really. You needed to let it out and I was there. I… well… I'm guess I'm glad I was."

She looked at him questioningly. "You really wanted to hear me cry?"

Shinji looked a little shocked at first. "N-n-no nothing like that!" he stuttered, and then realized that Mayumi was chuckling at him. "You're teasing me aren't you!"

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "I know why you were glad… and I just wanted to say, thank you again for being there for me. It… it's good to know you care."

Shinji blushed at that comment. "I-It was nothing… really."

"So what are you doing this weekend?"

Shinji thought about that for a second. "I don't know. My guardian is going to be overseas at some demonstration for a new war machine this weekend."

A new voice was heard at that moment. "Jet Alone by chance?" It was Aida Kensuke.

Shinji looked towards his friend as Kensuke pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, how did you know about that?"

"Well I am a military enthusiast after all."

"More like otaku," came the voice of Toji. "Hello, I'm Toji," he said to Mayumi.

"Mayumi. Nice to meet you." She glanced over towards Hikari and noticed the EM Field around her was fluctuating. More than that, her eyes softened a bit and the edges of her lips turned up a bit more. _Well well… someone has a crush…_

"Call me what you will," Kensuke responded, "but we all have to have hobbies. Mine just happens to be more exciting then basketball."

"Nothing's more exciting then basketball you crackpot!" Toji responded. It was good natured despite the way it was worded.

"Guys, please," Shinji said. "I think you might be disturbing Mayumi."

"Oh no, I'm good." Mayumi looked towards the door. "But I think the Sensei might be coming back."

"We should get back to our seats then," Toji said. "Come one Shin-man, that means you too." He grabbed Shinji by the arm and started dragging him back.

"It was nice talking to you again," he managed to get out before being dragged away.

"Likewise," she whispered.

* * *

"Come on Mayumi, let me see it!"

Mayumi had to admit that when she saw the costume on the computer, it was blush worthy. But that was nothing compared to what she was looking at now.

Fully decked out with all the copper plated accessories, she stared at herself and blushed furiously. Even she though it was damn sexy. The lower part of her outfit was a black one piece like the bottom of a swimsuit, a little wider than a bikini but not by much. The top of it in the center had a piece that came up to a ring that connected it to the top part, which also resembled a swimsuit top of the same color. This part left her arms free but covered her chest from the mid point of her ribcage up to her neck.

Her legs were covered in thigh high stockings of the same cotton/lycra fabric. The boots were copper plated as she had originally designed and came up to her knees, and the gauntlets also were plated and were about half forearm in length. The light plating made it easy to move in despite the metal as the fingers were exposed for the most part. The utility belt was curved around to cover the top half of the bottom part of her outfit. The cape flowed behind her and clipped to both of her wrists under the gauntlet plates, all black with a copper colored edge about 2" wide going around the entire length of it.

"This is too much," she said to herself. But she liked it… she admitted that to herself. The outfit was accentuated by the fact that her bust line had somehow become enhanced, probably due to the angelic influence. Though she was no bigger than a mid range B cup, it was a major increase over her previous figure.

"Mayumi!" Hikari called again.

"O-Okay, just give me a second." She honestly didn't know what her new friend would think of it. "Here goes," she whispered and walked out of the bathroom.

The shocked look on Hikari's face was enough to let her know what her friend thought.

"My goodness! Its more revealing then mine!"

Mayumi's blush deepened. "But I liked yours. It had 'girl power' all over it."

"Oh its not like I'm changing mine, but I have to admit… this is creative… if a bit over the top."

"Well," Mayumi replied, "I figured if I was going to use a costume, I might want to wear something that would be completely different from anything I'd normally wear."

"So what's with all the metal?"

"Oh that," she looked at her gauntleted hands and plated legs. "Well you know I can manipulate electrical energy right? Well I can conduct it though the metal to increase the effectiveness of my physical strikes. Besides the fact that they just look so damned cool!"

They both chuckled for a moment. "So, are you going to moonlight as a vigilante like me?"

Mayumi looked down. "I wish… but my mission takes priority. Speaking of which, I've been thinking about that."

"Yeah?" Hikari sat on the edge of her bed as Mayumi joined her.

"Well, my line of thinking has a lot to do with these EVAs. Those things have to be expensive to maintain, not to mention build right?"

"I follow."

"Well from what I've seen so far, I doubt NERV is fitting the bill alone."

"You think its another agency? What about the Japanese Government?"

Mayumi frowned. "I already thought of that. If they knew what NERV has done, I doubt they would fit the bill. Besides, the government has its hands full with all the reconstruction still going on as a result of 2nd Impact."

"What do you mean, what NERV has done?"

Mayumi sighed at this. She didn't want to get into these details but as a sign of trust, her friend should know the truth. "What if I told you 2nd Impact was not an asteroid collision?"

"What?!"

Mayumi nodded. "What if I told you it was caused by men?"

"How? That's impossible."

"Ramiel knew the truth. He was the 5th Angel, the one that attacked 2 days ago. When he gifted me with his power and sent me on this quest to stop the apocalypse he gave me all the knowledge that the angel's possessed regarding what really happened."

Hikari leaned in closer.

"The Lilim… sorry, humans found what we angels call The All Father… and attempted to subvert his power. When this happened he awoke from his slumber at the south pole and attempted to defend himself. He was subverted anyway but his rage tilted the axis of the entire world and shifted the climate forever.

"Now the angels are coming to attempt to release the all father from his prison and will stop at nothing to succeed. If they do, they could cause the 3rd Impact… and that would end all human life on Earth."

"My god…" she whispered.

"Based on how expensive the EVAs must be and how much money had to go into the expedition that went to Antarctica in the first place, I have not choice but assume some secret society is running things from the shadows, one made up of powerful individuals and with enough resources to fund the EVA project, put out a cover story and have the pull needed to get experts to sign off on it. This would mean the individuals had to be individually rich and powerful themselves."

"You're talking about an organization like the fabled Illuminate are you?"

"Something like that yes."

"Ok so, what's your plan?" Hikari asked.

Mayumi stood up and approached the window. It was dark out and no one could see into it so she wasn't concerned about being seen.

"There is only one way to end this accursed war," she replied. "I have to learn who the real culprits are behind this and those they were involved with. Whoever's souls are not irrevocably stained will be redeemed. But this secret society, and the main villains in NERV must die."

Hikari stood up at that looking exasperated. "You're talking about murder!"

Mayumi turned back towards Hikari with a stoic expression on her face. "The men who were responsible for what happened to The All Father are in effect directly responsible for the deaths of over 6 billion Lilim! For crimes so heinous, no punishment exists. They must die… otherwise the Angels will not stop until the Lilim are no more."

"You mean humans… why do you keep calling us that?"

"Because Angels are the children of The All Father. The Angel Lillith is the progenitor of the human race… therefore, you humans are Lilim."

"But I'm half-angel. What does that make me?"

Mayumi looked at her gravely. "To true angels, creatures such as you and me would be seen as abominations."

"What…." Hikari whispered.

Mayumi turned away from Hikari and continued. "The bloodlines were never meant to be mixed. Much like the royal families of old, the races where meant to be kept apart. Angels feared that Lilim blood would become a corrupting influence, and that the distillation would lead ultimately to weakness and loss of immortality. We Lilim are gifted with The Fruit of Knowledge while Angels partook of the Fruit of Life. They have the power, we have the knowledge. Mixing the two to them is a bad thing."

"Best of both worlds?"

"No," Mayumi replied, "something that could challenge God himself."

Almost on cue, Mayumi's cellphone rang. She quickly sifted though her school uniform that was laid out on her bed and found it.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's me, Shinji."

"Oh, hi!" A slight blush formed on her cheeks which Hikari chuckled at.

"Listen there's been a situation. I wanted to hang out with you this weekend but apparently something happened and I've been called into duty. You won't see me this weekend."

Her expression became sad. "I see… that's too bad. Well good luck with whatever it is your doing. I know you can't talk about it."

"I wish I could sometimes, so you would understand."

"I do, actually. I don't need to know. Just be safe."

"I-I will." She could almost hear him blushing. "Goodbye."

"Bye."

Once she hung up the phone she turned to Hikari. "I take it you heard?"

"How much you want to bet something went wrong with that military demonstration."

Mayumi shook her head. "A fool's wager. No doubt it's Jet Alone."

"You want to help… Storm?"

Mayumi looked at her. "Yes." Then her eyes took a more serious tone. "But we don't even know where the demonstration is."

"I know who does," Hikari replied as she grabbed her phone and dialed up the military otaku….

End of Chapter 3

A/N: Yes, Jet Alone. I can hear your grumbling now... I personally hated that part of the Anime, it seemed like a waste of space and filler to boot. Orionpax09 managed to make it into an important even in SOE if you didn't already know that. I'm currently undecided if She-Hulk will become part of Tempest Aterna. I don't know really... what do you think? Think I should invite more of the Superwomen over for tea? I know at least Misato would like some green tea. Don't know what I'm talking about? Then I strongly recommend you read Mike313's story "Altered Destinies". It's good... trust me on this one.

I'm currently struggling with another dilemma... the 3rd child. A few of you have expressed interest in making him a member of the Superhero Community. Well that wouldn't necesarilly be in the spirit of the SOE series... however I'm not above crashing through barriers like Juggernaut with a head start if it makes for an enjoyable read. Not to mention it might cement this story a bit more... a super powered Shinji Ikari would be able to fight alongside Storm in the comming battles without the help of an EVA, or maybe with it like Asuka did in the latest episode of her SOE tale. So here are 2 questions if you want to give your opinion on them...

Should Shinji Ikari be inducted into the League of Superheros?

If so, which Superhero should he be?

I'm asking because honestly, I have no bloody clue.

Thanks for all your reviews and input. Like I said before, I don't live or die by them... but it does make me feel good to know that someone, somewhere is enjoying my work.

"There is no knowledge that is not power."


	4. Jet Stream

A/N: I don't own EVA, Marvel, blah blah blah. How many times am I going to have to write this anyway?

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**IV: Jet Stream**

Sometimes the most powerful thing in your arsenal is a reliable contact. Aida Kensuke proved to be just that contact. He agreed to find out where the Jet Alone was going to be tested and had the resources to easily make that happen. When questioned about why she cared, Hikari fed him a line about a cousin that was interested in military hardware almost as much as he was and she wanted to impress the cousin with insider knowledge. Kensuke bought it….

An hour later, Hikari's phone rang. Now in her Spirit costume, she was anxious to get the data and get moving so she quickly picked up the phone and answered with a cheerful, "Hello."

Near the window, Mayumi waited patiently. There were two things she needed to think about; the fastest route to get there, and exactly how she was going to stop this thing. She'd have to get a good look at it to determine how to dismantle it. Inside she was nervous; this would be her first 'sortie' so to speak, and she wondered if she would be caught up in other such incidents while trying to fulfill her mission.

The mission was what mattered, she knew this. But could she simply ignore the pain of others? She looked at Hikari and felt a sense of envy. Hikari was gifted her abilities by fate alone, with no price tag attached to it. She could do anything she wanted… and her choice was to help others despite her own discomforts. Mayumi wanted to do that too, but if she failed to complete her mission, then there would be no world in which to help others in.

As Hikari continued to gather the details on Jet Alone from Hikari, her mind drifted to a certain brown haired boy who was now in the middle of this crisis as well. _I wonder what went wrong. If he's getting called in that means they needed his EVA. The situation must be serious… I hope he's ok._

"Thanks Kensuke," she heard Hikari say before hanging up. "Ok, here's the details he gave me. A Japanese technology firm originally started and funded the project but it was taken over by the Americans about 2 years ago. They moved the project to an airbase in the state of Nevada and started 'upgrading' it. It was supposed to carry a large variety of on board weapon systems and powered by a Nuclear Reactor."

"Nuclear," Mayumi whispered. "I don't like the sound of that. So what went wrong or should I guess?"

"Apparently it went out of control and is now heading towards the city of Las Vegas. The worse news is the reactor's cooling system has malfunctioned. If they can't get it shut down in a few hours, its going to meltdown… in the middle of the city."

"Damn," Mayumi whispered as she stepped off of the wall.

"We're not going to make it are we?"

Mayumi thought a moment before a light turned on in her head. "Yes we are." She immediately stepped over to her computer and typed in a web address.

"You're checking the weather?" Hikari asked as she noticed Mayumi logging into a popular meteorology site.

"I'm looking for something specific," she replied. After a few links she pointed to a map.

"The Jet Stream?! This is your idea?"

"Why not," she explained. "Its dipping right now close to Las Vegas. I can modify the path of the Jet Stream slightly to take us directly over the city. We fly into it and ride the current all they way to America!"

"That's insane! Isn't it freezing up there?"

"We have The Light of Our Souls don't we? We can use the light to keep us protected from the cold."

"That shield we create?" Hikari thought for a moment as Mayumi nodded and waited anxiously for her reply. "You know," she said at length, "it's just crazy enough to work."

Mayumi smiled. "Alright, let's do it." And with that she jumped though her opened window, after falling for about 3 feet the wind kicked up as her hair changed to stark white and she took off. Hikari summoned her wings and bolted after her flying up towards the stratosphere.

* * *

Lt. Ibuki hated being left in charge. With her sempai and her commanding officer both in America at the disaster that erupted in Nevada, it was her alone who had to make the decision as to what to do about this new occurrence.

"Report," came a voice from the box above.

"Sir!" Ibuki called out. "About 1 minute ago we detected 2 AT fields within the city of Tokyo-3, we've gone to stage 1 alert as is procedure but we don't have an EVA in operating order to deal with it."

"Where are the fields now?"

"They're at about 20,000 feet and climbing. I think they may be leaving. We detected a Pattern Red/Blue which we assume is spirit, but the other pattern is Blue/Red like before. Something is different about this pattern sir. We detected it once before but this time the level of blue in the pattern has increased about 5."

"I see," Gendo commented without revealing his feelings on the matter. "Track them and maintain stage 1 alert. What is the status of Unit 00?"

"I-It's not ready… I mean a chunk of the armor has been replaced but its still not completely repaired."

"Prep it for immediate action Lt. As long as its systems function we'll use it if we have to."

Ibuki didn't like the sound of that. She wasn't even sure if Rei was fully recovered from Operation Yashima yet and her EVA sure has hell wasn't ready for another sortie. While The Commander never let his real emotions show, Maya was almost certain there was an undercurrent of desperation behind him. _Because of her… Spirit._

"Yes sir," was all she could respond with.

* * *

Less than 2 hours later, after barreling though the Jet Stream at speeds just south of the sound barrier, 2 figures dove out of the sky heading towards the deserts south-west of Las Vegas. One, a feminine profile of black and copper, the other a slightly flamboyant angelic figure.

"Almost there Spirit," Storm called out. "I can see the EM signature it left behind and its strong."

"Storm! Look out!"

She turned the moment she heard that in time to see a massive transport plane flying right at her. With a slight body twist, she turned upwards avoiding a mid air collision. Then stopped in mid air to examine what almost struck her. The transport plane bore the word NERV on it.

"Shinji," she whispered. "Let's go!" Without further hesitation she flew at top speed towards the source of the EM field, the sound of the wind blowing past her was deafening. She was hopping to intercept Jet Alone before Shinji was deployed, but had little hope. The transport plane was flying faster than she could. Without the Jet Stream behind her, she wouldn't be able to catch it.

But Spirit could, she realized. "Spirit! Go on ahead, I'll catch up."

"Hai!" was her response as she took off at top speed, a blur of white wings and white hair.

Five Minutes later, as EVA 01 was deployed Spirit engaged the machine and Mayumi flew within sight range. To say Jet Alone deviated from its original design was an understatement. It was as tall as an EVA and heavily armored. Its profile was still gangly and it had little in the way of an actual head. The rest of it seemed to be electronics packages and heavy weapons; 4 racks of MLRS missiles, and a number of barrels that had a rather high caliber.

Nothing she wanted to be shot at with. Luckily, the machine seemed more intent on walking forward at a good clip rather than take aim with any of it any of its hardware. Spirit was on her way back, apparently at a loss as to how to deal with it.

"What's wrong?" Storm asked.

"I can't get close to it!" she replied sounding exasperated. "The reactor is putting off too much radiation. My AT Field won't protect me against that."

"Damn it," she whispered. She stared at the machine as EVA 01 began to catch up to it quickly. "What is Shinji doing?"

"That's the worst part! He has Misato in his hand and he's trying to get her onto it!"

"Are they insane?" she commented. "Radiation suit or no, if she stays inside that thing too long she'll die!"

* * *

Meanwhile in the office of Gendo Ikari…

Gendo watched the video footage of the two costumed superwomen having a midair conversation. The Sub-Commander was not in the room, however Dr. Akagi was effectively there on a holographic transmitter.

"Well Doctor, it would appear you managed to call out both of our little annoyances," he said sardonicly.

"I honestly didn't think Spirit would show up to this," came the slightly static infused voice of Akagi Ritsuko. "It boggles the mind why she would even involve herself."

"What's your opinion on the other one?"

"Wish I had one. But I can tell you that her pattern is the one that our techs detected during the battle with the 5th. I don't know her capabilities, and I couldn't even begin to guess. That outfit isn't revealing anything to me."

Gendo for a moment thought sarcastically that it was actually revealing a lot but that was besides the point. "Spirit's doesn't precisely scream 'power of the angels' either."

"True enough. What do you think we should do?"

Gendo thought a moment. "I want to know what both of their capabilities are. Can you modify the program to force Jet Alone to attack them?"

Ritsuko's eyes narrowed. "I can. But what about Captain Katsuragi and your son?"

"Jet Alone is not strong enough to defeat 01, and I doubt any of them would do anything to harm Captain Katsuragi if they can help it. They dress like comic book superheroes. They likely have the same mentality."

She couldn't deny the logic but it still felt like it was a huge risk. "As you wish." Seconds later, her hologram disappeared.

* * *

"Storm, neither one of us can get close enough."

Storm's gaze locked onto the back of Jet Alone as EVA 01 closed with it. "I can," she said confidently.

"What? How?"

"I can manipulate the bioelectric current in my body to produce a field that rapidly switches polarity… in effect, a magnetic field. That should keep the radiation off of me long enough to get in there and shut it down… I hope."

Spirit didn't share her enthusiasm. "You're taking a huge risk here. What if your concentration on the field fails?"

"Then I'll have to trust that my angel genetics are strong enough to take exposure to gamma radiation." Without another word, she took off.

"Storm!" Spirit yelled after her. "She's insane!"

Storm never heard her… her mind was completely focused on the task at hand. As she approached the back of Jet Alone she watched as the massive automaton began to slow down. Shinji in Unit 01 stopped short wondering what was happening, when the machine suddenly turned towards storm and unleashed a swarm of missiles at her.

Storm stopped short in mid air and broke right hard. "Not good," she said to herself. Her visual sight into the EM field revealed some form of energy pulse around the warheads of the missiles. The frequency of the field matched the field that forms around positron shots that allows them to punch though AT Fields and similar energy fields. Though not guaranteed, there was a high probability that the missiles may be able to penetrate her field.

Not taking chances she broke a hard left, however the missiles followed her direction shift. A split second later, they detonated in mid air as a blast of pure white energy tore though them, courtesy of Spirit.

"Thanks for save!" Storm yelled out as she turned back to face the monstrosity that was now taking a more combative posture.

"Go! I'll keep this thing occupied while you try to shut it down."

"Just try not to hit the reactor or we won't live to regret that mistake," Storm called back as she attempted to get to the opposite flank of the metal beast.

"Alright ugly," Spirit called out. "Let's see what you're made of."

Thankfully, Storm noted that the beast lost interest in her and was now focused on Spirit. As she banked around to get a good view of the back of the monstrosity, she caught sight of the access hatch.

"Here goes nothing," she said to herself. This was her first true super heroine outing, and she was about to try something she wasn't even sure she could do. Focusing on her bioelectric current, she turned it outwards then folded it in upon itself creating a magnetic field. The difficulty in moving her arms and legs due to the metal on them being pulled towards each other, told her it was working. But would it protect her from the radiation?

She landed on the back of the machine, and it took all her strength to keep her from being pulled down onto it and stuck there. "This is one heck of a workout. Maybe I should weaken the field for the moment." By calming the field, she found it easier to move and managed to get to the hatch. Storm tried the electronic key lock but when it wouldn't budge, she became annoyed and sent a jolt of electrical energy though it. With a spark, the panel shorted causing the locking mechanism to spring and the hatch to pop open.

"Too easy," she said to herself as she jumped in. Immediately she wished she didn't… the reactor chamber was like an oven. Now she had to concentrate on both the magnetic field to protect against the radiation and her AT Field to protect against the intense heat. Despite her best efforts, she began to sweat profusely and realized this wasn't going to work.

_The field is not strong enough to block the radiation, and I can't concentration on keeping 2 fields active at once_, she thought as she rocketed back out of the JA. _There has got to be another way to stop this thing!_

Meanwhile, Spirit had her hands full with this machine. "Doesn't this thing run out of ammo at some point?" She complained as she dodges another set of rockets aimed at her. She had to admit that this thing was rather resilient though; despite all her pummeling with bolts of raw power, it had yet to show any signs of damage. Noticing Storm leaving the unit, she fired a more intense blast of energy. It did little to the JA except dent the chest plate and knock it back a few feet.

Storm unleashed a massive torrent of electrical energy though the rear hatch but all the energy got grounded by the access tunnel into the control room and never hit anything vital. A panel slid open on its back revealing a 4 barreled gun turret that opened fire with 30mm shells. Concentrating on her AT Field, Storm was protected as the shells exploded against the light of her soul. Her annoyance showing on the field itself as blue sparks of lightning danced around the field's surface.

After yet another swarm of rockets almost hit Spirit, she had had enough. Diving it at full till she shoulder blocked it in the chest causing it to skid back 200' but it never lost its balance. It responded by suddenly electrifying its surface causing Spirit to fly back in shock. Before she had a chance to recover, the massive machine backhanded her. Two thousand feet later, she made a 600' trench with her body. She sat up and shook her head out then quickly flew out of the trench in a flash before a massive foot came crashing down upon where she was lying.

"Damn this thing!" she complained "That Angel I killed wasn't even this hard to fight!"

Storm decided to try something different; she conjured up a quick cold snap, reducing the temperature around the JA to -50 degrees centigrade then conjured a localized rainstorm. As the hard rain passed though the cold field, it froze however some of it did not until it reached the surface of the JA causing it to become slowly covered in ice. The machine lashed out at Storm forcing her to fly higher, but she did not release her concentration on the icestorm. Her eyes lost all color becoming pure white orbs in her head as she continued to for the deluge.

Spirit backed off and watched for her opportunity. JA was getting covered in heavy ice quicker now and it appeared to be slowing down. Spirit took her opportunity and focused a concentrated blast of energy directly into the JA's chest plate. The impact and sudden change in temperature caused much of the chest armor to explode into shards of metal.

But the JA wasn't done yet. A section of its right arm slid opened and a large barrel exteneded forward. The weapon, which was a compact form of Positron Cannon, charged quickly and the shot was unleashed at Spirit. She thought she'd be able to block the attack with her AT Field as the bolt was flying to fast to avoid but this would prove to be a painful mistake. For a split second before impact, surprise struck her as it cut straight though the field with little resistance. Though she missed getting hit with the shot directly, the agitated antimatter in the shot broke free of its magnetic containment and detonated too close to her. The shockwave threw her to the ground with a heavy impact. Her right wing was completely disintegrated in the explosion and the entire right side of her body was charred by the near miss. Amazingly, most of her costume manged to survive the blast.

Storm's concentration on the ice storm was lost when she saw what happened. Air caught in her lungs as her emotions and worry shot though the roof. Her anger followed closely behind it.

"You BASTARD!" she yelled as she summoned a massive downdraft that caused the machine to loose balance and crash to the ground. As some parts were still brittle and frozen, much of the leg armor on The Jet Alone shattered under the stress. It quickly got its composure back and fired a 3 shot volley of deadly Positrons. Storm focused her AT Field lined with electrical energy outwards and caused the shots to detonate early. The volley of rockets that followed it however penetrated the field, forcing Storm to evade.

The machine got back to its feet in time to catch a massive right cross from EVA 01, the still frozen armor over what pretended to be the thing's head shattered on impact. With Misato deposited a good distance from the battle, Shinji felt it was time for him to act. The machine recovered quickly though, and threw a punch of its own. Both war titans locked up in close combat, giving Storm time to check on Spirit.

When she landed, Spirit was already getting back up and regenerating the damage caused. Her lost right wing was almost half re-grown in that short time span.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Sure… never better," Spirit replied. "What's with this thing?"

"I don't know, but its attacking us for a reason. Maybe it senses our angel halves, but more likely, someone reprogrammed the thing to attack us. And I think that someone is NERV."

Spirit looked at her with a worried expression. "God, I didn't think I was such a bother! I was only trying to help!"

"Its not just you," Storm corrected. "Concentrate on recovering, I'll keep this thing busy." And with that, Storm was airborne again flying towards the massive war machines.

She saw the giants locked in all out physical combat and couldn't find an opening in which to safely attack. Each was trying desperately to find a weakness in the other's defense. Unfortunately it was the Jet Alone that found one first. A point blank positron shot to the chest caused the massive war machine that was EVA 01 to fall back; A huge burst of crimson blood indicating a lethal blow.

"SHINJI!" she screamed as she saw this. She felt her blood boil over as the rage of the 5th Angel overtook her psyche. The air around her rippled as the electrons within it began to become agitated by the energy focus. Spirit managed to take wing as she saw, and felt, with mute horror what was happening.

Jet Alone turned towards her and prepared to fire it positron cannon again but it was already too late. With a scream of fury, Storm unleashed an attack that rivaled the power of the 5th Angel, but rather than a massive particle beam, it was a tight stream of blue lightning that penetrated the remaining chest armor and cut all the power connections to the main reactor in a single shot. The back of the machine blew outwards with great force as the attack ended and the entire construct fell to the earth with a resounding crash, its reactor shut down instantly.

Storm saw the plug eject from the back of 01 and spray of orange fluid leave it when it stopped moving. Worried, she flew towards the plug as memories of what Shinji had told her the previous day awakened in her mind.

_You feel everything…_

When she landed next to the plug, she frantically searched for some way to open it. Finding the emergency handle, she grabbed it a started to turn when the superheated metal burned its way though the material covering her hands and bit her skin like a thousand needles. She jumped back with a shout of pain and looked at her hands. Seeing the flesh melted and seared, she growled her annoyance and grabbed it again.. Ignoring the pain biting though her flesh she managed to turn the handle and pop open the plug.

Inside the 3rd Child was laying back. His left arm hung from his side and the hand was still immersed in the strange fluid. His eyes were closed and he didn't appear to be breathing. Storm feared the worse.

"Shinji!" she called out as she stepped inside. The odd fluid came up about half way up her boots and the scent of blood permeated her senses. Shinji began to move with a muffled moan of pain, before turning his head to the left to see who was calling his name.

He saw Storm with her long wavy white hair and her dark eyes. The centers looked lighter though, as if her eyes were on the verge of turning completely white. To him, she was beautiful. He heard her asking if he was alright and a smile crossed his face.

"Did we win?" he asked weakly.

Storm smiled and simultaneously let out sigh of relief. "Yeah, we did."

"Oh good," he said softly. "You want to hear something ironic? I remember my fellow pilot in exactly this same position after the last battle. You're standing about where I was."

"Heh. That's kind of funny in a way I guess."

"You know my name." Mayumi looked at him in surprise. She didn't even think about the fact that Storm wouldn't know who he was. It was a mistake made by the overwhelming emotions she was feeling, and one she knew she would regret later.

"Yeah," she whispered. The sound of the nearby recovery team getting closer roused her out of her shock. "I have to go now. I'm glad you are ok Shinji."

"I know you," he whispered again before the pain finally overtook him and he blacked out again.

Her heart sunk at this realization. Had he connected the dots or was it that she seemed familiar to him somehow? She could hear Spirit urging her to get moving before the recovery teams got there and she had no idea how long she'd been shouting. Seeing no choice, she left, resolving to confront these problems later.

Hours later, Shinji awoke inside the NERV hospital staring once more at an unfamiliar ceiling. He wondered inwardly if the rest of his life would be like this; go on a mission, finish mission, stare at hospital ceiling, get new mission. This time he at least had something to think about.

Storm… he knew her. If he didn't know better, the timid bookworm he had recently become friends with was the person he believed to be her. Either way, she was familiar to him on a level that stuck in his head, demanding confirmation, and he firmly intended to confront her about it

He heard his door open and turned slowly. Misato entered the room with a smile.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Shinji sat up a bit, pushing himself back and wincing as he did. "Not bad for taking a positron shot in the chest," he replied.

"Well, luckily enough the damage was not as severe as it looked, soft tissue damage, armor disintegrated but otherwise it could have been worse."

Shinji nodded. "It doesn't get any easier does it?"

Misato felt for him. There were many times she wished she could take the EVA into combat instead of him, and this was certainly one of them. But the system didn't work that way and she knew it.

"I wish I could say yes Shinji-kun," she whispered. "I wouldn't lie to you though. We really don't know what to expect."

"That machine was designed to fight angels," Shinji started, "and it immediately attacked Storm and Spirit."

"Storm?"

"The other girl that was there, the one in black and gold. I wonder if everything would have been ok if you took care of this yourself. I wonder if they somehow made it worse this time?"

Misato shrugged. "Who can say that for sure?" Misato responded. "I'm sure Gendo and others who would rather she didn't interfere with NERV's business would say she was the reason, but others would say it was going to happen anyway. The radiation could have scrambled its AI or something… Maya and Ritz would know more about that though."

"I have a different theory," he whispered.

Misato raised an eyebrow and thought that it was likely the same theory she had. NERV wanted it to go berserk. Spirit being there presented an opportunity to eliminate her using this 'accident' as a cover.

"Yeah," Misato replied. "You'll have to tell me about it later. I need to get back to the bridge. Get well soon ok Shinji-kun? I don't think I could deal with you being away for so long." With a smile and a wink, she managed a blush out of the poor 3rd Child.

"You're so easy to tease sometimes," she whispered as she left.

Once she was gone, Shinji's thoughts immediately turned back to Storm. His vision was a bit fuzzy when she was with him in the plug but he remembered her outline, her eyes, and the gentleness of her voice.

"No doubt in my mind," he whispered to himself. "It's her." As his eyes drifted back to the ceiling, thoughts of her permeated his mind; her eyes, her kindness, her smile… He looked forward to seeing her again.

* * *

Mayumi stared at her own ceiling, lost in thought. Hikari had gone home shortly after they returned. As much as she tried to be cheerful for her, she knew Hikari was worried about Shinji just as much as she was.

"_Come on Mayumi," she had said, "lighten up! Shinji will be okay, I know he will! He may not look it, but inside he's tough. We'll probably see him Monday at school."_

"Shinji," she whispered, allowing the name to roll off of her tongue. The boy had allowed her to feel things she never felt before just by being in his presence. Her ever changing biological state was making her feel less and less human everyday, but Shinji had somehow helped to anchor her… and she barely even knew him.

Standing up she proceeded to her window. "I wonder if he is my destiny?" Mayumi believed in the karmic flow of all things, that good followed more good and evil was always repaid in kind. Part of that was the idea that every soul on the planet had a counterpart and that as karma would have it, the soul would one day find its partner, and would know it instantly. It was a form of 'love at first sight' in a way but believed more in the idea of a destined pairing of two souls, and she truly desired Shinji to be that destined one.

As she stared out into the darkness of the night, she thought about everything that had happened to her so far and wondered if indeed, her life was the product of some greater plan, or if Chaos Theory ruled her existence in its entirety.

Eventually she got herself to lay down in her own bed. Unable to sleep, she simply stared at her ceiling and slipped into a meditative trance, her mind kept drifting to the brown haired boy who dominated her thoughts both day, and night…

End of Chapter 4

A/N: I want to take a moment to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter and for all your suggestions regarding Shinji. As you may already know, I ultimately decided I would not give Shinji superpowers in the main story arch, however I am still playing with the idea of doing a "What If" series based on certain ideas I've had and have been suggested to me. In that collection of short 1 to 3 part stories, I'll probably do it. If Marvel can do What If's so can I. Hell, technically, this entire series is a bunch of What If's in a way aren't they?

Orionpax09: Chances are, Spirit is going to be a player in this on an "on-again off-again" role. The two do make a good team and I established her as a player in this early on, but the focus will always center on Mayumi. She's become a big part of my fanfiction life now and I doubt she's going to fall to the wayside anytime soon.

Mike313: Thanks for the heads up about the Human Instrumentality Commitee. They're likely to be mentioned next chapter. And keep up the good work on Altered Destinies, its become one of my favorates of all time.

Commander Galos: Honestly? I suck at writing Omake. If Mike313 or Orionpax09 wants to write some for me though, I'll definately post it and give them the credit.

All: I hope you enjoyed this very different take on the JA incident. I wanted it to be different from the same old, "Look at me! I'm walkin' and I'm not gonna stop 'till NERV says so!"


	5. Prevailing Westerly

A/N: By now you should know the dril... I don't own EVA, I don't own Marvel and I don't own anything connected to any of them. I'm Archdruid Sephiroth and I approve this message.

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**V: Prevailing Westerly**

Mayumi was both dreading and looking forward to school on Monday morning. On one hand, she would get to see the object of her soul's desire, the timid pilot of EVA 01. On the other, she was certain he knew the truth about her. Did he tell his superiors at NERV or did he hide what he knew? As she hasn't been attacked by the "Generic Men in Black" as of yet, she had to assume that either he said nothing to them about her, or that NERV was observing her but taking no action.

Both presented their own form of paranoia in her making her appear even more on edge than when she and Hikari dove out of the jet stream to confront the overloaded robot the Americans helped to build. She did try to remain calm but it was difficult when there was a distinct possibility that her every movement was now being scrutinized.

As she approached the school her eyes darted around, taking in every detail and looking for anything out of place. If the goon squad was keeping an eye out for her, they were doing a good job of staying hidden. Not even errant EM waves were visible meaning if they were around they were not communicating with radios. Just as she was beginning to worry that something was about to happen, someone tapped her on her shoulder.

With a startled shout she jumped and her books flew in 3 directions.

"Oh my God! Are you ok?" came the voice of Hikari, the shoulder tapper.

"S-sorry!" Mayumi said quickly. "I-I've just been on edge lately. I'm okay… really."

"I don't think you are," she replied with the look of a stern parent. Mayumi said nothing, instead she readjusted her glasses and fetched her books.

Hikari had had enough of this evasiveness. Once Mayumi grabbed her last book, Hikari grabbed her by the of the back of her cardigan and dragged her behind a tree.

"Ok seriously, what gives?" she demanded.

Mayumi looked away and shook a little. "I-I think Shinji recognized me," she whispered.

Hikari's eyes widened a bit. "Oh no. You don't think he'd tell his superiors do you?"

Mayumi shrugged. "I really don't know. I don't know him well enough to make that kind of observation."

"You going to ask him?" she asked.

Mayumi looked fearfully at Hikari for a moment before her eyes went distant and she turned a different direction. "I don't have a choice, I have to know. That's why I'm on edge." She sighed softly. "If he did, then I might be under observation right this moment. Maybe NERV's goon squad, whatever they're called, are just waiting for a chance to abduct me. If he didn't, then I can stop worrying finally and relax." She sighed raggedly. " I hate being on edge like this!"

"I know what you mean," Hikari replied thoughtfully. "I've only known Shinji slightly longer than you have, but honestly I don't think he would tell his superiors your secret."

Mayumi felt a little less on edge after hearing that, but she could not completely relax.

All too soon, the 1st warning bell rang. "Here goes nothing," she whispered.

* * *

"How is it possible Ikari, that the Americans know nothing of Storm's or Spirit's involvement in the JA incident?"

The question came from one of the 12 monoliths that surrounded the room. Specifically the one marked SEELE-07.

Gendo took no time in formulating his reply: "Along with the transport plane used to transfer Unit 01 to Nevada for the operation, I dispatched a small contingent of JSSDF fighters on loan from the Japanese Government to maintain security around the area. As the two dived in from above, the Americans didn't even know they were there. I was able to attain permission due to Japan Heavy Chemical Industries' original ties to the project."

The booming voice of SEELE-01 spoke up next: "This has already been confirmed by out contacts in America. NERV was given full credit for averting the disaster. If anything Ikari, I would have to say that your handling of this has been for the most part masterful."

SEELE-11: "Except that you didn't stop the JA. You used it to try to destroy Spirit and the other one… and you FAILED Ikari."

Gendo showed no signs of cowing to the monolith's accusations. "The plan was never for the destruction of Spirit or the unidentified woman," he started, "the plan was to reveal the capabilities of this new element. In that, it worked brilliantly. Dr. Akagi has been able to ascertain that she is capable of weather control, storing and projecting electrical energy, has an AT Field, can see into the EM spectrum, has at least partial control over magnetic fields and can fly. There are other observations made of course but you should have my report in front of you. Read it yourself."

SEELE-04: "This does not change the fact that Spirit is still a wild card. The scenario is not easily altered Ikari. See to it that it does not have to be."

"Of course," he replied. "The scenario always comes first. Leave it to me."

SEELE-04 "Very well."

The monoliths deactivated with the exception of SEELE-01 who spoke one last time: "I know you will not disappoint me… Ikari." Then this monolith too vanished.

As the lights came back on in his office, Kozo entered the room wearing his usual amused expression.

"So how did it go?" he asked.

"The same as always," Gendo replied. "They're nervous of course."

"Any clues about this latest Superwoman?"

Gendo never moved, but Kozo found that lately it has become easier to tell his emotions. A slight change in breathing pattern or even an almost impossible to spot shift in the visible skin next to his glasses could be very telling. Though he seemed to show no signs, it was obvious as day to Kozo that Gendo was a little frustrated.

"Nothing beyond the capabilities she showed against the JA. I'm sure we'll know something soon."

"No doubts about that," The Sub-Commander agreed. "Dr. Akagi can be quite the miracle worker. A remarkable woman she is."

Sourly, Gendo thought that Kozo had no idea. If only he knew what Gendo knew about how "remarkable" she really was.

* * *

School proceeded as usual for Mayumi except that she found herself looking over the in direction of Shinji often, wondering if her fears truly were unfounded. More than a few times Shinji had caught her looking at him and she quickly turned away, feeling her cheeks becoming warm.

_Two days ago, I took down a massive war machine bent on my destruction, and now I'm getting nervous over talking to Shinji again? What is wrong with me?_

Of course such reactions were natural, even if Mayumi choose not to accept them as such. When lunchtime hit, she was so nervous that she actually left the classroom, which she never did. Shinji, being intent on confronting Mayumi about her strange behavior (and her night job for that matter) followed her.

She stopped under a big shade tree that no one ever used. There were benches and tables but with so few students at the school now, many of the good spots were abandoned. She sat down and opened her bento in time for Shinji to drop into the seat in front of her.

Mayumi did not look up but smiled a little. "Hello Shinji," she whispered.

"Mayumi," he whispered back. "How are you today?"

Mayumi knew Shinji was a timid boy that would never confront her like this but something was pushing him forward. She couldn't tell why he would just walk up to her and talk like this.

"Oh," she whispered sheepishly, "fine."

Shinji's eyes narrowed slightly. "You haven't even asked me how Saturday went."

Mayumi sighed. "We both know I already know that. I was there."

"I know… Storm," he said in a more hushed tone. Mayumi's cheeks reddened slightly as her alternate personae's name was spoken by the boy who had her heart. "I… I'm glad you were there."

Her cheeks reddened further. "Just trying to help," she replied.

"So how did this happen?" he asked.

Mayumi half chuckled. "That's a long story. Got a few minutes?"

"Of course."

Mayumi felt she could trust Shinji. There was something about him that made her feel that no matter what happens next, everything will be okay in the end.

"It happened back when that gigantic octahedron floated into the city…." Carefully, Mayumi went over the details of the origins of her power. Shinji was quite surprised that she was actually connected to the 5th Angel and that her powers manifested the way they did. She also admitted to using her power to keep the sun off them on Thursday while he was helping her bring home the stack of books.

"Are you an angel?" he asked as she finished up.

"I don't know for sure," she replied in a low tone. "I'm at least half angel… what the angels call a Nephilim."

"Strange," Shinji whispered. Mayumi was worried now, knowing that she was half of the things he's been taught to kill. She wondered if he would turn on her now.

"How did you figure out it was me anyway?" she asked.

Shinji smiled. "I connected the dots. Thursday, when you opened up to me a little, you slipped into a sad mood twice… both times it down poured. The second when I… held you…" he blushed slight as he said this, "…I noticed… the weather calmed down."

Mayumi blushed slightly at the mention of this.

Shinji continued. "I didn't physically recognize you when you were fighting the JA. But… when you called my name…"

Mayumi's blush deepened. "You know… I still have difficulty keeping my emotions from influencing the weather."

When this was mentioned, Shinji looked to the sky an realized the clouds were building up and covering the sun, as if the sun itself was embarrassed and afraid to show its face. He chuckled at this watching Mayumi become even more embarrassed.

"It's not funny Shinji," she complained. "This is serious. What am I supposed to do when PMS kicks in?" Upon realizing what she just said, her face became the same color as a beat and the sky was mostly dark now. Shinji on the other hand stared at her in shock.

"I-I… I can't believe you just said that!"

"Well it's true!" she countered. "My emotions are such a complex whirlpool during 'that time', and if I don't get them under control I might just drown the rest of Japan without even trying!" She looked down, worry painting her face. "I'm actually kind of scared. No one should have this much power… especially not me…"

Shinji leaned over the table and gently took her hand in his. "I wonder if Spirit worries about that too," Shinji mused, trying to be empathetic.

"I… I guess I should ask her that sometime," she whispered.

* * *

**Two Days Ago**

A man should never put himself into a position where he's serving more than one master. At this point in time however, Ryoji Kaji was serving three. On one side, he was SEELE's insider into the workings of the UN, The Japanese Government and soon, NERV itself. On the 2nd front, he was working for the Japanese Government keeping them informed on the backroom dealings of the UN while giving them limited information about the work being done by the "Instrumentality Committee". Soon he would add a third master to his resume in the form of Gendo Ikari.

While Kaji always came off as a barely held together playboy, the reality was far more sinister. His mind was steel trap, able to calculate with exceeding precision what his next best move would be, and he had the charisma to convince people he was not dangerous or charm them into cooperation. These skills served him well in this, his chosen occupation.

Now he was on a thin line. After replacing the target with a fake encased in Bakelite, he smuggled the 1st Messenger, still in embryotic form, out of SEELE's central command. He would need to hold it for the time being; he had a date with the UN Pacific Fleet which was even now finalizing preparations to transfer EVA-02 to Tokyo-3.

Hiding out in a motel in Dresden Germany, he set down his ill-gotten cargo and sat in a chair across from it. The large metal briefcase had seemed heavier than he anticipated it would be.

Kaji felt the 1st messenger drawing him to it, like a splinter in the mind's eye. As dangerous as it could be, he had to know, had to see it for himself. He reached over to it and imputed the code to unlock the case. A mist spilled out as he slowly raised the lid.

There, frozen into an embryotic state was the 1st messenger. It looked like nothing more than a mutated, partially grown, human embryo.

"Now you don't exactly look like the perpetrator of 2nd Impact, do you," he whispered to it. He scrutinized it closely, taking in the details of it, looking for any hint of the power it truly held. Sighing, he was about to close the case when he suddenly got the overwhelming urge to touch it.

"I shouldn't," he whispered as his hand began drifting closer to it. "But what harm would it cause, I just need to know… need to touch…". He reached in. The moment his skin contacted the rubbery flesh of the sleeping angel a jolt of energy shot up his arm causing him to be thrown back onto the floor.

Pain unlike anything he ever felt before shot though his system, burning every square inch of his body. He couldn't scream, just writhe until it was over. His muscles tensed, and his blood vessels felt as if they were going to burst.

A voice echoed in his mind, sounding like a hundred voices calling out to him… _**Vohu Manah… Vohu Manah…. Vohu Manah…**_

Finally with a barely contained groan of pain both in his body and mind, it all went away. His body collapsed from its tightened state and he was able to relax. Within seconds all pain was gone.

Slowly rising to his feet he faced the mirror and saw his reflection. His eyes were different, pupil-less, like the reports he heard about one of the Superwomen playing against NERV.

"What in God's name," he whispered.

"_**A rather ironic choice of words Vohu,"**_ a single voice in his mind replied. It sounded dark and rather sinister, yet proper and intelligent.

"Who are you?"

"_**Your new father."**_

Kaji heard the chuckling from the entity and his mind placed the sound as coming from the embryo.

"Adam…" he whispered.

"_**At least your relatively quick on the uptake, and your skill at avoiding the detection of those that would subvert me and my power are admirable. You are everything I could hope for… despite being a Lilum… well not for long at any rate."**_

"What?!" Kaji almost cried, feeling a tingling throughout his body and mind. "What the hell are you doing to me?!"

"_**Improving you…."**_

The pain suddenly returned with greater fervor. He leaned against the wall and grabbed his head, trying desperately to find a way to lessen the pain. But within moments it was over.

"What do you want from me?"

"_**How many masters do you serve Vohu? 3? 4? What is it you hope to accomplish?"**_

"I just want to be on the winning side. I don't know what's going to happen, only ideas… and that's isn't enough…"

"_**Is that so… perhaps we can help each other out after all. Power doesn't come without a price Vohu… but your services to me will more than make up for it."**_

Kaji frowned at the idea of having yet another master. "Why do you keep calling me Vohu?" he demanded.

"_**It is your angelic name: Vohu Manah the Pure Speaker. A bit of an ironic contradiction actually considered you lie when it suits you. But I can use that to my advantage."**_

Kaji slowly felt his will to resist Adam fading. "I… I'm still a human being."

"_**Half."**_

"Then I still have free will, the right of all the children of Lilith. You can't make me work for you." Kaji could almost hear the growling of annoyance from Adam. Then the growl became a laugh.

"_**Poor, poor Lilum… or should I say, Nephilim. Soon you will have no choice. You shall become part of our collective consciousness. All angels obey me and you will be no different. But… I have a special job for you."**_

A Smile began to filter over Kaji's lips as he felt the energies of his angelic side awaken. His mind reeled with the possibilities. "Yes father."

"_**Good. You will continue to play the part you have been playing. In time, all Lilum will be destroyed. 3**__**rd**__** Impact will wipe the slate clean and we angels can begin again. But for now, let the events flow as they are. When the time is right I will tell you what must be done."**_

"As you wish father… but if it pleases you, I have a name I would prefer to go by instead of the one you gave me."

"_**Oh? Do you dislike it?"**_

"No, I don't dislike it. I simply believe that if the use of my powers is required for the scenario to be fulfilled, perhaps an alternate personae is in order?"

"_**An excellent idea. One Lilum has become a Nephilim… absorbed the essence of the 5**__**th**__** Messenger but she is now beyond my reach. I know she hears me but she refuses to obey. She has taken the identity of Storm. What will you call yourself?"**_

Kaji turned towards the mirror, his pure white eyes focused on himself as he leaned against the nearby door. "Life is a journey… and the journey of the Lilum is ending soon. But our journey will begin again… so I will name myself for the greatest biblical journey of the Old Testament."

He walked over to the window as his hand extended towards his firearm sitting on the end table. Focusing his angelic power, he telekinetically pulled it to him and began to put on the shoulder holster. His eyes drifted outside where people were walking the streets calmly… completely unaware of the event unfolding in the building above them, or what such an event could mean for their own future.

"I am Ryouji Kaji, triple agent and informant. I am also the will of Adam, the messenger of journey's end. Call me… Exodus."

"_**Very well, Exodus… my child… I wish for you to dig around NERV after we have arrived and search for whatever they know about Storm. She's managed to partially cut herself off from me so I can't see her. I believe it may have been Ramiel's doing but I can't be certain."**_

"Do not fret father. I'll find what I can," his gaze shifted towards the opened briefcase which he commanded close with a telekinetic push, "and if it is your desire, I will destroy her."

* * *

**Presently**

School ended as it usually did, with elated students fleeing the campus grounds. Mayumi and Shinji walked together for the time they could. They held each other's hand and walked in perfect step, as if they had done this all their lives.

"So it really doesn't bother you that I am half-angel?" she asked.

"How could it?" he responded immediately. "I barely even understand what it is we're fighting. How could I hate you? I-I mean… ever since we first walked together I've felt… comfortable around you. And you've been half-angel that entire time. It would be like suddenly not liking American Hotdogs after finding out how they're made."

Mayumi chuckled at that analogy, although she would be the first to admit she foreswore eating hotdogs for a while after learning that truth. Eventually though, she got over it and still indulges in them whenever she finds that odd store that carries them.

"I have to admit Shinji," she started in a lower tone, "that things have changed for me too ever since we met."

Shinji blushed at bit almost at the same time as Mayumi after she said it. "For the better?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she replied with a smile, color still filtering into her pale skin.

Shinji smiled at her warmly, then his face shifted as if he had just remembered something. In doing so he stopped walking.

"I just remembered something! In 2 days, I'm going to be going on a business related trip with my guardian to pick up a new unit. I was told I can take someone along. I was going to take Toji and Kensuke, but… I'd really like you to come with me instead."

Mayumi looked at him with a surprised look on her face. "Me?"

"Yes! Why not?"

Her eyes drifted down towards her shoes. "I… I guess I just figured you'd try to keep me away from your day job for as long as you could."

"Because I can stop you," Shinji said sarcastically. "I already know that if you could be there every time I get into an EVA, you would be in a heartbeat. Why try to keep you away from all that. Its counter productive."

Mayumi chuckled. "Ok, I accept." Shinji's face lit up. "But you should see if you can take Toji and Kensuke as well. I know Kensuke would love to see the military side of your job."

"Well, its not like I'm trying to encourage him," Shinji tried to explain. "I guess your right though. If Kensuke knew he had a chance to see some hardcore military equipment up close and I passed him up, I don't think he'd ever forgive me!"

"Probably not," she agreed with a chuckle. "So, can I convince you to come over to my place again?"

Shinji's blush intensified. She seemed more casual about inviting him over then the first time. Deep down he was afraid that he would never be able to connect with someone, and her someone was, trying to get him to open up, despite her own timid nature. Maybe, just maybe this was someone he could grow to truly care about. He wanted at least to try but was afraid of the pain that would come if this should fail.

_I mustn't run away…_

At length, he finally answered her. Perhaps it was Mayumi's undercurrent of confidence, or that he truly needed a chance to connect with another person but for whatever reason, a small bone in his spine strengthen just a bit that day.

"I… I'd like that," he said with a smile.

End of Chapter 5

* * *

A/N: Sadly the chapter turned out a bit shorter then I'd hoped, but it sets the stage nicely for what happens next. The players are beginning to move their pieces around the board and it can only end in misery and misfortune... but for who?

As usual I want to thank everyone who's stuck with me this long and apologize again for the delay. I try to update my profile often so if you want, you can always take a look and see where I'm at on things.

I have another Fanfic project in the works now (the muse won't leave me alone). I had hoped to get it posted before the end of last month but things got a little hectic here with the upgrades to the college's online class system and everyone scrambling to try to keep there jobs and all. Stupid recession....

orionpax09: Thanks for the cool picture of Mayumi you sent me. I'll have to get around to checking the rest out later.

mike313: Keep up the good work on AD. The story is getting even more interesting...

all: Thanks for all the great suggestions on Shinji as a Superhero. I might just write one of them though as I stated, he won't get "supered" in this story arc.


	6. Riptide

A/N: I still don't own the source material....

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**VI: Riptide**

The next two days turned out to be quite enjoyable for the new couple. Shinji pulled himself out of his shell a bit more to talk with Mayumi's mother. Although she embarrassed her daughter on more than one occasion Shinji thought things went well.

The day after, Shinji invited Mayumi to meet his guardian and have dinner, but she had to decline. She still had a few things to do to patch up her costume from the battle with JA. Although Shinji suggested she put it off, Mayumi insisted she get it done incase she had to pull out the big guns soon. It reminded him of his duty, and that he had to be ready at any instant to fight the angels when they came.

* * *

Kaji stood on one of the higher balconies overlooking the Super Carrier Over The Rainbow. The men on the deck below were scrambling about making sure the ship was battle ready and going though their boring to-do lists. The man who was now known by the angels as Exodus pondered the futility of what it was they did. Gaghiel would be here soon, and many of the men in this fleet would die today.

"I still don't understand why if you want to end the human race do you not simply join with Gaghiel… or myself when I have become full angel?"

"_**I desire to break them. That is why I continue to summon my messengers to me. Death is not the end for any of us Exodus, and though my messengers are but 15 in number, our race as a whole is beyond measure."**_

"If that is your wish father, then I shall work towards that end."

"_**More than simply that. I wish to break Lilith herself. Her children stand against me… but before this is over, I wish for them to stand with me and embrace the end in their despair. With her children taken from her I shall finally have my revenge. And then… only then will I wipe clean the slate."**_

"And you need more than just angelic messengers for that… that's where I come into play isn't it?"

"_**You are an eloquent speaker Exodus. If anyone can start a movement amongst the Lilum to turn them towards embracing the end… it is you."**_

"So I get to be some kind of twisted evangelist… interesting."

"Kaji!" came the voice of the girl he has had to watch over for years. A smile lit his face. He had to admit, for a Lilum, she was beautiful. This one in particular seemed to have an overwhelming obsession towards him. While the old Kaji would not take advantage of her advances… Exodus did not carry the same qualms. As his mind was slowly turning towards the thought patterns of the angels, he understood the concept of universal love, but he also still understood the concepts held by the Lilum regarding individual love and attachment. And it has been awhile since the man known as Ryoji Kaji allowed himself an attachment. Child or no, he could find a use for her… and though she was a child in age she certainly defied the definition in both body and mind.

Asuka Soryu Langley was the personification of German Perfection and Japanese Beauty rolled into one being… a fact she knew. As she ran towards Kaji her yellow sundress swayed and puffed, and the sun created a halo of light around her. Though decidedly human, some could see her as an angel in her own right….

…until she spoke. Asuka had a fiery personality and wasted much of her amazing talent on proving just how amazing she really was. She was boastful and arrogant, two things that were generally a turn off for any potential boyfriends (or girlfriends if she swung that way). But at the same time, she was also just as loud about how she needed no one… apparently that did not include Kaji whom apparently fulfilled her definition of the "perfect man".

Kaji was certain Misato and Ritsuko could argue against that definition….

But the fact remained that she was obsessed with him… probably do anything for him… and that thought made Exodus happy. After all, an EVA Pilot in his corner could only make his mission easier. The other "benefits" were secondary to the scenario.

She pounced upon him and clung like a favorite pet. In many ways, Kaji thought that this was appropriate.

"Enjoying the trip?" he asked.

"Mein Gott this is boring!" she replied. "How long until we get to Japan?"

"Should be later today, but we should see representatives from NERV-Japan before that."

"Hmm, I wonder if any of them will be this pilot I keep hearing about?"

"Likely," Kaji replied as he turned back towards watching the deck hands scramble about.

* * *

A helicopter ride was something a bit more terrifying to Mayumi then the thought of going up against the JA for round two. Though she flew a few times since her transformation, this was a bit different… mostly because she wasn't in control this time.

Shinji quietly appreciated the irony of it all as he felt her hand squeeze his in time with the shaking of the transport helicopter as it hit more turbulence. Mayumi had her eyes closed and was concentrating not only on not being scared, but on trying the calm the angry air currents outside. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not cooperating and seemed to increase the turbulence out of spite.

Trying to be of comfort to her, Shinji returned the squeeze which caused Mayumi to open her eyes and look at him. A small smile appeared on her face and she returned the squeeze, feeling safer somehow.

Captain Katsuragi smiled a knowing smile. She was happy her ward had managed to find someone in his life. Perhaps this seemingly timid girl could help him overcome his little "hedgehog's dilemma". She would like to see the child whom the world has so much faith invested in gain a shred of confidence and happiness. The changes were subtle but Misato saw them little by little. Each day that went by that Shinji spent with this seemingly geeky little bookworm, he seemed to be happier and more confident in himself. As a result, Misato suspected that Mayumi was much more than her appearance would reveal. Of course she had no idea exactly how much more was really there.

The sound of Kensuke going crazy at the sight of the ships roused both of them out of their quiet moment and their attention was dragged towards the window. There Shinji and Mayumi stared in awe at the size and might of the UN Pacific Fleet. Kensuke was busy calling out the names of the ships while Shinji and Mayumi looked at each other with a smile.

"Glad you came?" Shinji asked her.

"Yeah," Mayumi replied. "Not everyone gets to experience this in their lifetime." She turned back to looking out the window while Shinji stared her lovingly for a few more seconds before looking out.

Minutes later the helicopter landed and Kensuke, unsurprisingly, was the first one off. With his camera at the ready he began to document everything he saw. Toji was second, but the moment he hit the ship's tarmac, his new hat flew off in a gust of wind and he was forced to chase it down. Mayumi and Shinji stayed at each other sides as they walked along with Misato.

"Wow, all this to escort an EVA?" Mayumi commented.

"Yup," Misato replied. "Well the EVA is pretty important. I'm sure Shinji-kun's told you all about that."

"Actually Misato-san," he interjected, "I try not to bring my work home when possible."

Misato smiled at him. "Well I guess that's a good thing. Too bad I can't seem to do the same."

A new voice caught their attention after Toji's cry of "My hat!"

"Well hello Misato, so nice to see you again."

"Hey Asuka. My you've grown!" Mistao saw the mischievous look on the girls face and had an inkling suspicion that she wore that sundress on a windy ship for a reason.

"Ja! And not just my height, but my figure's filled out as well!"

Shinji could only stare in awe at this girl wondering who she was. Just as he was about to ask Misato did the introduction.

"This is Asuka Soryu Langley, designated pilot of Unit 2." At that moment, almost as if on cue, a wind gust blew across the landing strip causing the girls sundress to fly up and revealing to the stunned children exactly what Asuka's taste in underwear was like.

This was of course followed by three slaps in rapid succession as Toji, Kensuke and Shinji received their punishment for staring.

"What the hell was that for?" Toji yelled at her.

"That was the viewing fee. Quite a bargain wouldn't you say?"

"Its overpriced," he growled. He went for his belt but Shinji grabbed his hand and wagged his finger at him. Something told him this girl was not to be trifled with.

However, Mayumi did not get that memo. As Asuka was about to speak again she suddenly found herself getting slapped across the face. It took a stunned Asuka a full two seconds to realize what had just happened and who did it. To her surprise, it was a rather geeky girl with glasses, a small mole and wearing slacks. Mayumi had known better than to where a skirt on board a ship over open ocean.

"How dare you," Mayumi chided. "They couldn't help it. And you should know better than to wear that kind of outfit on a windy aircraft carrier!"

Asuka glared at her. "Why you little whore! Who is the geek who dares to strike me?"

"My girlfriend," Shinji said firmly, much to the surprise of Kensuke and Toji who didn't realize things between him and Mayumi had actually gotten that serious. "And I would have hit you myself if it wasn't for my strict code against hitting little girls. As it stands, I'm considering rethinking that policy." Shinji grew another bone in his back that day. Perhaps it was because Mayumi was with him and he always felt braver when she was there to encourage him. He knew he probably shouldn't have said that… but he didn't care. Asuka was now glaring threateningly at the girl he cares about most right now and that simply won't stand.

The fact that this boy dared to stand up to her was annoying to say the least, but the fact that he stressed the word "little" was both an insult and a goad. "And just who do you think you are?"

"Shinji Ikari," he replied firmly. "Pilot of Unit 01 and the last person on this ship you want to antagonize." His heart was beating faster in his chest. _What the hell am I doing?_

"Oh really," Asuka replied. "What are you going to do, sic your father on me?"

"Like I need him," he replied.

Misato jumped in at this point getting between them and pulling Mayumi back, who looked like she was about to attack Asuka again. "Alright knock it off!" she yelled. "You two better get your asses in gear and learn how to get along, because you're going to be working together for quite a while."

"Like I need him," Asuka offhandedly commented. "Your day in the sun is over Third, you might as well go home. I'm the best there is at what I do… and I need no one. Especially not a smart mouthed little pervert like you." And with that she walked away.

Misato looked at Shinji with a look that said she wasn't pleased with the outcome. "What the hell was that about?"

"She rubbed me the wrong way," Shinji replied. "First she hit me for something that wasn't my fault, then she badmouthed my girlfriend. I don't think she knows what the word 'respect' means."

"You're probably right," Misato replied. "But at least try to get along with her for me, please Shinji-kun."

"I will Misato," he said with a sigh. "But just keep in mind I'm not going to take her BS."

* * *

As Misato argued her case to the Admiral of the ship, Asuka slipped back up to the high balcony where Kaji still stood. "Mein Gott what a pain!" she complained.

"I must say that could have went better Asuka-chan," he replied. Asuka's smile just broadened at the sound of Kaji using an endearing title like that for her.

"At least you understand me." Asuka huffed. "I can't believe the Third Child. He thinks just because he managed two kills that he's somehow better than me. That little perverted baka couldn't even begin to compete."

"Except that his sync ratio exceeded 40% without any training at all at his first combat."

"No way!"

The sound of Asuka's cry of bullshit was accentuated by a mental ping in the back of Kaji's mind. Asuka wasn't blind to Kaji's sudden silence.

"Kaji? What is it?" She asked as he got off of the railing and touched his arm.

A slightly scary smile seemed creep upon Kaji's face as he idly said, barely above a whisper, "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes…."

* * *

"I don't understand why the Admiral was giving you such a hard time Misato-san," Shinji asked as the group made its way up an escalator inside the carrier.

"He has his pride Shinji-kun," she replied. "Before Second Impact, the Pacific Fleet was the strongest thing afloat in the open ocean. He's had a chance to watch a major collapse of civilization and changes in the reins of power. I wouldn't have expected him to take kindly to our presence here, or having to use the fleet to escort a 'new fangled war-machine' across the ocean. Although I think he called it a 'Children's Toy'."

"I guess not," Shinji replied. "Maybe in time he'll come around."

Shinji looked up in time to see Asuka standing at the top of the Escalator.

"Third Child, come with me," she demanded.

Shinji looked at Mayumi who didn't seem to approve of the sudden attention. "Its ok, I'll try to smooth things over alright?"

Mayumi nodded, but somehow she knew this was going to end badly… It was then that she felt something stirring at the edge of her awareness.

"Just be careful Shinji-kun," she whispered. "I have a bad feeling."

Shinji knew that could mean something bad. Although he didn't know the full extent of Mayumi's powers, he didn't discount premonition as one she didn't possess.

* * *

"It's… red," was all Shinji could say. He and Asuka transferred over to the barge carrying Unit 02 and now he was looking at the machine for what is was.

"The color isn't the only difference," she explained. "Unit 00 and 01 were the prototype and test type respectively. The fact that they managed to sync with an untrained pilot like you proves as much. Mine is a little different. This is the full Evangelion Production Model."

"You're proud of this machine aren't you?"

"Damn right!" she announced with a smile. "Aren't you glad to be an EVA pilot too?"

"Not really," he said in a low voice.

Her eyes narrowed. "What is your problem Third?" She hopped down from her perch on top of Unit 02. "We have been given a unique opportunity and the power to save the world from the angels! Why not enjoy it?"

Shinji turned away from her for a moment before turning back with anger in his eyes. The intensity even made her back up just a bit.

"You want to know why I hate EVA so much?" he half shouted. "The pain… the feeling that I'm doing as much harm as I am good. My first sortie out ended tragically when Toji's sister ended up in the crossfire and got hurt… badly. I got my ass handed to me and passed out. I don't know what happened next, only what I was told… EVA 01 went berserk and tore the angel apart.

"My second sortie wasn't much better. I almost killed Toji and Kensuke. I was forced to let them inside the plug because they were being stupid. Instead of staying the shelter, Kensuke just HAD to see the battle for himself and dragged Toji out there. The angel ran me though with a pair of energy whips and I destroyed its core with my progressive knife."

He waited for a response, but apparently his venting simply caused the stunned girl to listen and not say anything. Whether it was the intensity in his eyes, or the clarity in his words but for the moment, he commanded her complete and undivided attention.

"I feel nothing but pain from that hellish thing. But I keep piloting it… not because they tell me to… not for glory…no. I pilot it because if I don't the world stops turning. Do you understand now Second Child?! This is not a fucking game! There is not top score! There is no glory except what you delude yourself with! You're been training as a pilot your entire life but you haven't seen combat yet. I've been in this game for a very short time by comparison."

Asuka finally regained her composure. "Listen to yourself… 'This is not a game…' Do you really think I don't know that?! I damn well know it! But the difference between you and me is that I have embraced what I am! I don't run away from it, or live off of the hate from it. I enjoy it. It is what makes me what I am. It is my purpose… mine!"

Shinji looked at her stunned for a moment then just started laughing at her.

Her anger set further, "What is so funny Third?"

"I really can't believe we just got so bent out of shape about this," he chuckled out. "God… you know… you're right Asuka. You're absolutely right. I've suffered though two engagements with the angels and what have I done since then… I've whined, bitched and moaned about it. God, I'm so pathetic sometimes."

Asuka smiled a bit. "Funny, you didn't strike me as the whiny type."

"If you had said that to me three weeks ago I would have thought you insane. I was… I was a spineless little coward."

"What changed," she asked while leaning against the railing.

"Mayumi," he said without hesitation. "I don't know what it is about her, but… she brings out a part of me I never knew existed."

"Blech," Asuka said causing Shinji's eyes not narrow. "Mein Gott, a love sick baka."

"Hey! You ta…" Shinji never got to finish the sentence as a sudden rumbling threw him off balance and almost into the cooling fluid around 02. "What the…."

"That was an undersea shockwave! Let's go see." She helped him off the floor and out to the outside railing where they could see what was happening."

* * *

Deep within the ship, Mayumi was looking out over the water when her sixth sense kicked off the warning that one of her siblings was approaching rapidly.

_Gaghiel…_

_**Ramiel… or should I call you Storm… How far you have fallen.**_

_Stop this. This is isn't the way… This war has to stop otherwise both our races will fall._

_**The All-Father doesn't share your sentiments, o Angel of Thunder. The time of the Lilum is over… the decree has been made.**_

_No! There has to be another way…_

_**Give it up Ramiel! Your idealistic views are not shared by our species. If you do not embrace the word of The All-Father you are an enemy to us as well!**_

_Then you leave me no choice… I must destroy you brother._

_**You are welcome to try… 'sister'….**_

Saddened by her failure to talk sense into The Angel of Fish she discretely made her exit to get changed. She was suited and ready by the time the first undersea shockwaves were felt on the Over The Rainbow.

Keeping low under their radar, Storm flew to the west, towards Japan before rising up and flying back, allowing the radar to see her approach. As she did, the skies above the battlezone began to darken.

On the bridge of the carrier, Misato had already told Asuka to go ahead with the operation when the radar officer warned of an approaching aircraft.

"What? How? We're still out of range of any JSSDF Air support!"

"I don't think its JSSDF Captain," he replied as Storm buzzed the bridge.

"Storm?" Misato wondered what she was doing out here as the first rumbles of thunder echoed over the ships.

As EVA 02 landed on the carrier after playing hopscotch with the Pacific Fleet, the rain began to pour. Inside Shinji was estatic.

"I knew she'd come as soon as she sensed the angel!" he exclaimed.

"Who?" Asuka demanded.

"Storm! Look!" and he pointed towards the dark shape in the sky hovering above one of the battleships that The Sixth Angel was approaching.

Pulling her right hand back she charged up an immense amount of energy and threw a powerful stroke of lightning into the water in front of Gaghiel. Although the shock did little damage, it forced him to turn off and acquire a new target.

_Give it up, I've always been stronger than you…_

_**Don't make me laugh, this is MY domain sister… I am The Master of the Ocean!**_

_You can't reach me…_

_**Wrong again.**_

As Gaghiel swung around, a powerful stroke of his tail sent him rocketing out of the water. Storm barely managed to dodge his massive teeth but the tail slammed her hard sending her directly into EVA 02. The collision was barely registered by the behemoth but Storm felt like she was just thrown into a brick wall.

"Ok, that hurt." As she slipped off the EVA she was caught by the hands of EVA 02.

Shinji hit a button turning on the external microphone and speakers. "Storm! Are you ok?!"

Storm sat up in the hands of Unit 02 and rubbed her head. "Shinji? What the… I thought your EVA was blue. Did you get a new one?"

"He's riding with me," Asuka cut in. "This is my Unit 02! Who the hell are you?"

"I'll explain later, I need your help friend of Shinji."

"It's Asuka, and we're not friends! Get out of the way, I can take this thing out myself!"

"Actually," Shinji cut in, "the EVA is using a form of equipment that can't be used while submerged. Asuka we need her help."

"Like hell I do. And what's this 'we' crap?"

"Like it or not, you have me in the plug. What did you think was going to happen, I'm just going to sit here and do nothing in one of _your_ plugsuits?"

_Oh, hell no...._

"If you two can't figure out how to get along," she yelled back, "I'll do this myself." She flew off the hands of the EVA in time to see Gaghiel heading for the carrier.

_**Sounds like your allies are too busy fighting amongst each other… still think you can win?**_

Her answer was a bolt of energized lightning aimed right for what would be his nose. Gaghiel dove beneath the waves and tried to come up directly underneath Storm but she had already moved, and strafed the side of Gaghiel with electrical fury. But she was doing little damage to his tough hide.

"I wish Spirit were here," she whispered as she dodge another attempt to eat her. "She'd know what to do."

A moment later a huge explosion of water caught her attention and she knew fear once again. Gaghiel's powerful tail threw half of one of the destroyed ships out of the water at her like a giant projectile. Barely escaping it she had to fly nearly straight up to avoid the massive wave of water that followed. Her ability to fly was based on controlling the wind around her. If she ended up in the drink, she would not be able to easily get the air under her and would be a sitting duck for Gaghiel.

She tried to lock onto his postion when an explosion of water behind her took her by surprise. The other half of the cruiser flew at her at breakneck speeds. She managed to dodge again but was struck by the massive plume of water. Struggling, she managed to stay aloft… barely and considered her options. She could summon a massive waterborne tornado to suck him up and make him a sitting duck, but the force required to do this would endanger the fleet. In fact anything concerning the water at this point would be disastrous for the fleet.

He was right about one thing… he had home field advantage.

A chunk of one of the submerged buildings was thrown at her, about three stories worth as far as she could tell. She had to dodge under it which was her mistake. As she cleared the underside of the building she flew directly into Gaghiel's tail throwing her over a thousand yards away. She skipped off the water three times before she sunk in.

"Oh no," she manged to get out as she surfaced and noticed the massive fin of Gaghiel heading right for her.

_**You're mine…**_

Just as his mouth opened to get ready to swallow her whole, Unit 02 landed on top of it, having made the jump after disconnecting primary power. The progressive knife dug into its hide causing it to suddenly dive. The wave threw Storm back into the air where she quickly recovered and took flight again.

Underwater, Shinji and Asuka were hanging on for dear life. It took the mental control of both of them to keep the EVA moving while submerged but Shinji's need to save Mayumi combined with Asuka's determination where just enough to get the job done. Gaghiel swung his head around, throwing 02 in front of him where his mouth chomped down but his teeth didn't make contact. Instead his jaws were being pried apart Gaghiel threw his head around trying to dislodge the EVA.

"Look Asuka!" Shinji called out, pointing at the Angel's Core.

"I see it," she grinned. "I can't do enough damage to it but maybe that supercharged bitch out there can. We have to force it to surface first."

"Great, any ideas how?" Shinji looked at the countdown and it registered less than 30 seconds left. "Soonish?"

"I do." Suddenly the shoulder pylon opposite the one that held the progressive knife on Unit 02 opened and a series of superdense metal spikes fired off. Even underwater, at this range they impacted and penetrated the core.

With a roar Gaghiel reared up and broke the surface where Storm was waiting for him. As Unit 02 jumped off, Storm unleashed the fury of the Fifth Angel in an attack that mirrored Ramiel… an attack she affectionately referred to as "The Thunder God Special". A beam of pure white lightning lanced passed the opened teeth of Ramiel and struck one of the spikes sticking out of the core. This conducted the energy straight past the first layers of crystal and directly into its heart causing it to shatter. As the gigantic body of Gaghiel hit the water again, it expanded and exploded with the force of a small N2 Mine.

Unit 02 hit the deck of the aircraft carrier hard but managed to stick the landing just as its timer reached 0. Storm, shielded by her Electro-Magnetic AT Field watched solemnly.

_Goodbye brother…_

_**That you would kill your siblings so callously….**_

Her heart skipped a beat. "Father?"

_**Yes child… it is I. And I am not pleased with what The Angel of Thunder has become….**_

"Why are you doing this?" she shouted over the storm.

_**Because the Lilum's time has come. They dared to try to usurp my power and now they will pay the ultimate price.**_

"But its not all of them! Its just a few of them! Let me bring them to justice and end this war! Please Father!" Mayumi was pleading the voice in her mind. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Was Gaghiel right? Was Ramiel's desire for peace just a pipe dream.

_**It is too late my daughter… the wheels have begun to turn and nothing can stop the inevitable. Give up on this Ramiel… I think no less of you for trying what you felt was right… but it simply not worth it to save them.**_

Mayumi looked down as her tears began to flow free… "Then you leave me no choice father… whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, I can't let it happen… I will stop you."

_**I knew you would ally yourself behind the Lilum… and I have planed for this contingency. Soon my youngest son will join you in the land the humans call Tokyo-3… and he will put an end to your meddling. Goodbye… daughter….**_

Suddenly a great pain shattered though her mind… like someone drove an iron spike into her head. Under the cover of the rain she managed to get back on board the ship as the pain intensified further.

After 10 minutes the pain calmed down enough for her to change out of her costume and back into her own clothing, although it still lingered.

After 20 minutes, her head stopped hurting but something was missing now. She looked around suddenly feeling very alone, alone and afraid… and she knew why. Under a metal stairwell in the darkness she curled up and shook. Tears fell without pause as the chill of the ship consumed her small body.

"Mayumi!"

She looked up and saw Shinji rush towards her back in his school clothing. He had went to look for her after the battle but couldn't find her. Then it was like he was being drawn to her and somehow… he knew exactly where to find her. Mayumi got up on her knees and clung to Shinji as if she hadn't seen him in years.

Shinji began to rub her back and tried to shush her cries.

"What's wrong Mayumi?" he whispered. "What's the matter?"

Between her tears, she managed to tell him. "I've been… separated from the All-Father… he has… abandoned me…."

To the angels, the connection to the All-Father was important to the collective. Each angel was linked to Adam telepathically and psionically. With that connection severed, the Angels become lost and confused… some become overly aggressive and animalistic… but poor Mayumi instead felt as if someone very close to her just died and a part of her own soul was torn from her.

Adam no longer wanted anything to do with Ramiel/Storm… so he simply abandoned her, much as Shinji was abandoned by his own father after the death of his mother. Although Shinji did not understand the interrelationships between the angels, he imagined this was much the same to her and knew what this must be like for her. He never wanted to see the other side of such trauma.

With her glasses on the floor next to her she continued to ball into Shinji's chest, her small body quaking with every spasm.

Around the corner, hidden away, Ryoji Kaji listened to the cries of his 'sister'… and smiled….

End of Chapter 6

* * *

One of the worst fates anyone can suffer... and poor Mayumi just got to feel that sting. But will she still cling to false hope, or will she embrace the inevitable and continue to murder her siblings? Obvously Kaji/Exodus knows exactly who she is though the Angelic Collective... but how does he plan to deal with the lost child?

See you next chapter....

Ipsa Scientia Portest Est


	7. Cloudburst

A/N: First a shout out. I want to thank Ryousanki for helping me with Asuka's German for this chapter. The translations are at the end of the chapter.

A/N: Disclaimer, I still don't own EVA, but God… I wish I did.

**

* * *

**

**Tempest Aterna**

**VII: Cloudburst**

Home… it was something Mayumi only knew as temporary housing. Even when her family was together, the arguing, bickering and fighting, not to mention attempted molestation didn't make it feel like home. Often she wondered what home really was besides a place to keep the stuff you didn't need at the moment and a place to lay your head.

With her mother out of town for the week, Shinji had an easy time smuggling the emotionally broken Heir of Thunder back into her house. Laying her small frame on the bed, he found himself unable to get up as she refused to let him go. Although her time as a member of the Angel Collective was short, she had with her the experiences of her predecessor and the ages he was within the collective.

Mayumi realized that she was severed from the collective on the anniversary of her parent's official divorce. She mused how appropriate this seemed between fits of crying.

Eventually Shinji had no choice but to lay with her in the bed. She tightened her grip on him as if afraid he would disappear next. Thankfully, Misato would not be getting in contact with him.

While they were on the ship, Misato found them and wanted to know what happened. Shinji lied… he told her that the battle scared Mayumi and he was trying to comfort her. Misato bought it so well that when Shinji all but demanded that he be allowed to take Mayumi back to her apartment and stay with her since her foster mother wasn't going to be there that week, Misato didn't give the request a second though before she agreed to it.

As they lay together, Mayumi fought the urge to cry again. Shinji gently removed her glasses and placed them on the nightstand. He then resumed holding her and began rubbing her back gently in circular motions. This seemed to calm her a bit more. Feeling bolder, he leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. Eventually her cries were quieted and she fell asleep in his arms.

He still didn't understand what happened to her. From what she told him about herself, she was half-angel, perhaps on her way to become a full blooded angel….

"_I've been… separated from the All-Father… he has… abandoned me…."_

Shinji's heart sank as it finally dawned on him.

"_Abandoned… like my father abandoned me…"_

This much he already knew, but unlike what his father had done to him, it seems the angels actually require their connection to the so called 'All-Father'. He knew that she was in terrible pain, but the human side of her may still be able to allow her to survive without this connection. He hopped it was enough…

**

* * *

**

**NERV HQ: Office of Commander Gendo Ikari**

"Impressive, you came though after all." Gendo was beginning to wonder if he wasn't double-crossed himself. Then Kaji entered his office and delivered the goods.

Kaji smiled as he placed the massive case on the table. "Of course," he said with a smooth spin to his tone. "I always deliver. They had it guarded very well, not that I expected any different."

"And the fake is in place," he asked without so much as moving.

"Where it should be," he responded. Only then did Gendo open the case and look into it. "I do hope you get what you need from it."

"That remains to be seen," Gendo replied. "So far the scenario is proceeding on schedule. Which brings me to my next point. I could use someone as reliable as you. After this stunt I know SEELE would rather liquidate you than rehire you, perhaps you'd like to take a assignment here at NERV?"

Kaji smiled. "Commander, I know how the game is played. It would be foolish of me to refuse such a request."

"Very well," he replied as he reached into his desk and removed what appeared to be a wallet and a sidearm. "You are now Special Inspector Ryoji Kaji. In any situation requiring a criminal investigation or background research, you have authority. You will report only to myself or Sub Commander Fuyutsuki. You will of course have full benefits and a paycheck of 650,000 yen monthly, tax free in bi-weekly deposits of 325,000 each. Is this acceptable Special Agent Ryoji?"

"More than generous Commander." He gave a polite bow to show his appreciation. "I'm sure I will my career will take off from here."

"You are dismissed."

Kaji saluted him and left the office. _"Not surprising, all that work and I get a do-nothing position. However this can work to my advantage… a special inspector position such as this allows me a bit more freedom to move around."_

_**They will be watching Exodus.**_

"_Of course they will Father… they're always watching."_ He had almost reached the door when he turned around. "One last thing Commander, if I may."

Gendo waited patiently, and didn't have to wait long. "I was wondering what is being done about Pilot Soryu's living arrangements?"

"She'll be assigned quarters in the building as is standard procedure."

"Ah, but the 3rd child does not have to live here in the HQ."

Gendo paused for a moment. "The point Inspector?"

"As you are well aware sir, Asuka used to be my charge… was in fact up until I had to begin my infiltration of SEELE as requested. I would very much like to become her Guardian again. I do not believe she would do well on base sir. She is… a bit of a free spirit."

"Granted," was all he said.

"Thank you," he said with a bow and left the office.

_**So, you plan to use her as well?**_

"_I like having an ace in the hole. The key to wining a war father is to stack the deck in your favor and have more tools at your fingertips then you actually need. Then you have but to make the proper choices as to which tools to levy when the time is appropriate."_

**

* * *

**

**Yamagishi Residence 4 hours later**

At some point during the night, Shinj ended up getting used as a bed by the small girl he was trying to comfort. He couldn't sleep, even if he wanted to, and spent much of the night running a hand though her silky hair. He didn't even realize that she was awake again until she shifted a bit and spoke.

"Shinji-kun… do you think… he'll ever accept me back?"

Shinji shook his head gravely. "Not if you continue to fight him. But even if you stop, I don't really believe he would. Just based on what I've fought I can tell that the other angels are not the forgiving type."

Mayumi remained silent for a moment longer before speaking up again. "I… feel so empty inside. Its like a part of me was torn away and all that's left is this void that's threatening to swallow me whole."

"I'm sorry." It was all he could really say.

"Shinji-kun… I have a question to ask you… and I want an honest answer."

"Of course Mayumi, you know I could never lie to you… ever."

She nodded. "Shinji… do you… wish to become one with me?" After asking the question her face reddened up a little.

Shinji's did as well. "I… I… … yes… I would. But I think its too soon for that."

Mayumi clung harder to him but for the first time since the battle against Gaghiel, she smiled softly. "I agree… it is too soon… but it means so much to me that you do. Because I know you do not wish to because it would benefit you, but because you truly love me. I may never return to the collective, but so long as you are with me… I believe I can endure."

"Mayumi-chan," he whispered.

"If you want, you can call me May. No one other than my real father ever called me that before… and I'd let no one else call me that."

"May-chan," he corrected as he rubbed her back again. She felt loved, and felt she belonged there… in the arms of Shinji Ikari was the only place she wanted to be.

**

* * *

**

**The Next Day**

Shinji thought about moving in with Mayumi temporarily as she still had not properly recovered. At this rate, Shinji was worried that she might not… that she may become completely dependant on him. This combined with a general sense of dread put him on edge most of the day at school. When lunch came around he was too worried to actually eat, wandering the grounds with any lack of direction.

"There you are Third," came the voice of the Second Child.

Shinji was not looking forward to this. Ever since she showed off upon her arrival today, she's been even more on a hair trigger then the day of the last battle.

"What is it Asuka?"

"Mein Gott, what's wrong with you? You look like a train wreck."

"I was trying to take care of Mayumi yesterday," he replied. "Didn't really get much sleep."

"Is she okay? Honestly Third that was no place for a civilian anyway."

Shinji turned looking annoyed but otherwise staying calm. "I really didn't know we were going to get attacked by an Angel. Apparently neither did Misato, otherwise she wouldn't have allowed it. We thought she was perfectly safe."

Asuka wasn't backing down. "Well you didn't think enough, dumbkoff! The fleet was hauling an EVA. I would have actually been disappointed if an Angel didn't show up. Too bad my first battle had to get messed up by that uber-bitch."

Shinji's temper flared. "She is not a bitch!," he snapped. "You take that back!"

"And if I don't?" Asuka was pushing him harder. She wanted to see just how much Shinji cared for this girl.

"You already know I won't hit you," he replied.

"That's what I thought." She turned away at that looking proud of herself.

"You're going to learn, perhaps the hard way, that her and Spirit are vital to this city."

Asuka turned and glared at him again. "I don't need anyone. Perhaps you needed the help of uber-women but I don't. Face it third… you're time in the lime-light has ended. Komm mir nicht in die Quere! "

Shinji sighed as a breeze picked up around him. During the battle against the 6th, Shinji thought he was getting along with Asuka. He knew her well enough to know that she only slips into German when she's really annoyed. Although he did not understand her words, the message was clear… 'Stay out of my way'.

"_Perhaps its for the best,"_ he thought. _"If she's even half as good as she claims, maybe NERV won't need me anymore."_

"Shinji?" came the voice of Hikari. He turned in that direction and saw her walking up with a folder held against her chest and a worried look on her face.

"Hello Class Rep," he replied. "How are you?"

"Fine. What happened to Mayumi? She's not here today."

Shinji's eyes widened as he realized he really didn't know what to say. Hikari wasn't privy to Mayumi's secret as far as he knew so he couldn't say anything specific. "She's sick today. Her mother is out of town so I've been taking care of her."

"That's sad," she replied although Shinji could see in her eyes she was not completely buying it. "Can you take her work home to her?"

He wondered on what grounds she would be able to draw such an conclusion… unless… "Of course."

"Ok, I'll get…" Hikari trailed off looking a little light headed. Inside her mind, her senses suddenly warned of impending danger, and her folder dropped to the floor. She could hear the echos of the Angel collective and instantly she knew that an Angel was on its way.

"Hikari! Are you ok?" Shinji grasped her shoulder as she looked as if she was going to fall over. "Here." Gently he sat her down.

That had never happened to her before. Whatever she sensed, it was extremely powerful, and it wasn't that far away. She was about to say she was ok, when Shinji's cell phone rang. They locked eyes for a moment before he drew the cell phone and looked at the message displayed.

"Damn it, not now!" Shinji said, exasperated.

"It's another Angel… isn't it?" Hikari whispered.

Shinji looked at her as her face turned away. _How could she know that?_ Shinji realized she probably put 2 and 2 together knowing he was an Eva pilot and doesn't really get any phone calls any other time. Though her sudden near collapse right before the phone call seemed way to suspicious to him. Combined with her seeing though a lie she shouldn't have been calling him on… only one way to find out though.

"We'll talk later," he whispered to her and tried to gauge her reaction. He noticed the ever so subtle look of fear in her eyes when she looked at him and was able to draw a conclusion.

**

* * *

**

**Later**

Spirit flew over the city towards the shore line. The air quickly cooled around her and she looked skyward, knowing what it could mean. The skies quickly darkened above, a sure sign that Storm was in the vicinity. Her angelic senses locked onto her leading to a tall abandoned building nearby which stood silhouetted against the expanse of the sea. She landed on the 3rd highest floor and approached the dark shape holding onto a vertical support column.

The building was little more than a waterlogged ruin from the 1st though 5th floors. Up here, the building was opened to the elements. Holes were visible in the fallen ceiling and floor and Spirit knew that if it were not for the fact that Storm and her were so light on their feet, the floor may just give way. There were no windows either, just opened spaces looking out over the ocean.

"Storm?" she called out. The dark figure turned towards her as the first flashes of lightning in the sky illuminated her face. Her eyes lacked the same shine they usually did and her pupils were mostly visible. "Are you ok?"

"I wish I was," she responded as she turned towards the sea. "The All-Father has abandoned me… I am no longer joined to the collective."

"And… that's bad?" Hikari was not actually connected to the Angelic Collective but was able to pick up flashes of activity from it from time to time. This didn't give her the information she needed to draw on how royally screwed up Storm was right now.

Storm sighed. "Part of what keeps angels sane and calm is their continuous connection to him. Mine was severed… and it feels like part of my soul was ripped out of me with rusty pliers."

"Not a pretty visual," Spirit replied. "I'm sorry."

"Not important right now. Israfel is coming."

Spirit looked out in the same direction as Storm felt the lifeforce of the Angel drawing nearer. "I sense it too," she replied. "What do I need to know?"

"Israfel is a composite Angel, one who is two. He'll split during the battle, and so long as one survives the other will have an amazing regeneration rate, seemingly able to shrug off attacks. Only a concerted attack against both simultaneously can cause any real damage."

"Sounds complicated."

"Only a little," Storm commented then suddenly doubled over a moment.

"What's wrong?" Spirit asked while putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Its nothing, I'll deal."

_**No sister, you'll die.**_ Came two Angelic voices simultaneously.

"What the," Spirit said.

"You can hear them too?" Storm asked.

"You've spoken to the Angels before?" She asked while nodding, clearly surprised.

Storm nodded, then turned towards the water. "I don't think so Israfel. Gaghiel talked tough, same as you… now he's gone. You'll fair no better."

_**Your overconfidence will kill you eventually. Maybe we will destroy you, maybe another. Inevitably, you will fall. You should never have turned against us… You have upset the All-Father and he will see you dead for your transgressions.**_

"Never, I will stop him."

_**No, you won't. The end of humanity is as inevitable as the rise and fall of the tides. You can not survive without us… the separation will destroy you eventually, unless you can open the barriers of your heart to another completely and without fear. **_

"You don't think I can?"

_**Your Lilum father saw to that.**_

Mayumi's heart sank. _They all know about that?_ "Shut up! You will not lecture me about compassion and love! If you knew of such things you would not be trying to end the human race!"

_**There is a difference between love and duty. You should have learned that. Enough of this! It ends!**_

* * *

Nearby, EVAs 01 and 02 dropped to the beach and hooked up to their external power. The water ahead began to part as the Angel began to walk up onto land. It certainly didn't seem like it was in much of a rush.

"So, that uber-bitch is out here isn't she? It looks like its going to rain so she must be."

Shinji was getting tired of listening to Asuka. "You know, sometimes I wish I could just shut off the EVA to EVA communications array. That way, I wouldn't have to hear to you bitch so much."

Over the com link, Misato was advertising the fact that she was not pleased. "Cut the chatter! Both of you!"

"I can't believe this… my debut battle in Tokyo-3 and I'm stuck working with wonder-boy over here."

"That's enough Asuka!" Misato yelled. "Stay on task!"

Asuka seemed to growl at the demand but finally relented. She picked up a massive progressive halberd from the weapons rack. "Fine but I get fist crack at the Angel. Cover me Baka!"

Shinji sighed as he watched her charge the angel. He quickly grabbed a pair of pallet rifles and braced them, preparing to fire. "And she calls me an idiot. She's the one charging recklessly into combat."

Bounding over the obstacles in her path, EVA 02 quickly closes the distance between itself and its target. With a great down slash her weapon bisects the Angel in once concentrated blow, the flesh giving like tissue paper.

"She did it," Shinji said flabbergasted.

"See Third! That is how combat should be; quick and clean."

Then Shinji saw the two halves of the angel shudder and grow.

"Asuka! Its not dead yet!"

She quickly turned towards the body and watched as two nearly identical angels now stood before her.

"Ich bin ja sowas von am arsch," she whispered as she prepared to dodge. Both attacked at once forcing her to focusing on evasion in the wake of their sudden assault.

Shinji broke left to get a clear shot and opened up with both pallet rifles simultaneously. "Asuka, get back and try to neutralize the AT Field on the blue one. They're protecting each other and I can't get though both fields!"

Asuka dodged the next set of 5 attacks with barely any room for error. Their attack patterns were nearly flawless, striking and maneuvering in such a way as to prevent a counter assault and keep Asuka off balance. A quick maneuver pushed her into the buildings and left her at their mercy.

At that moment a massive blast of white energy sideswiped the red one hard enough that even with his partner's AT Field protecting him, he was thrown over half a kilometer away. When the other turned to find out what happened, he was blasted with a massive stroke of electrical energy sending him almost the same distance.

Asuka looked in the direction of the shots and growled. Spirit and Storm were both incoming. Against her better thoughts on the matter she turned on her external speakers and microphone. If they started talking to Shinji, she wanted to know what they were saying.

"Shinji," Storm shouted in the direction of Unit 1. "We'll give you and Asuka your shot at the angel, but you have to attack at the same time! We'll try to keep their fields down!"

"Got it!" he yelled back, drawing his progressive knife. "Asuka! I'm approaching from your left, we'll take them hard and close!"

"I'm not taking orders from you 3rd!" she shouted back.

"You want to live though this or not?!"

Asuka growled, realizing again she had no choice but to co-operate again. _"Damn it, I don't need them! Why do I always have to share the lime light with these rejects from a comic book?"_

Having lost her polearm, she engaged her progressive knife and prepared to attack, waiting until Shinji was right along side before springing into action. Meanwhile Spirit and Storm eroded the Angel's AT Fields and kept up the energy barrage, herding them into the open where the EVA's had an advantage.

Shinji pounced on the blue one trying to get at the core only to get swatted. He recovered as a blast from Storm knocked the Angel off balance again. Shinji delivered a spin kick to its mid section as it took a swipe at Storm who simply flew out of range. He pursued it, trying to get at its core but it was fighting too defensively. For a being that seemed rather simian and unbending in nature, the Angel could move fast.

Asuka managed to pin hers to the ground and tried to stab at its core only to get speared though the left shoulder with one of the angel's claws. Spirit responded with a powerful cross blast to the angel's shoulder, blowing the arm completely off. Asuka groaned in pain after the impact but was statisifed to see the Angel came out the worst of the two. She slammed her progressive knife into the core but was having difficulty penetrating it. It responded by throwing her off as its arm quickly regenerated.

"Mein Gott they keep regenerating! How are we supposed to beat them?"

"Maybe we can get them back together somehow," Shinji responded. "Try to time your attack at the same time I do. Side kick yours towards me in exactly 4 seconds… ready?"

Asuka mentally counted the time as she continued to go hand-to-hand with this abomination. She took another spearing, this time to the abdomen but continued her assault.

Shinji in the mean time took a cross shaped slash across the chest from the thing, and although his vision blurred a moment from the pain, he kept up the assault. "Now!" he screamed as he pivoted on his left leg sending the EVA into a momentary spin, delivering a strong kick into the Angel. The force sent it flying towards Asuka.

At that same moment, Asuka pivoted on her right food and spun in the opposite direction knocking the Angel towards Shinji. The resulting collision caused the Angel's to re-fuse upon impact.

_**Damn you Ramiel!**_ The twin voices echoed in the minds of Spirit and Storm. As both EVAs spun once more, they ejected their power cables before they delivered a simultaneous inward stab with their progressive knives into the dual core of the Angel. Both went straight though to the hilt causing the core to explode and sending the EVAs in two directions. EVA 02 ended up head first in the water with its legs up in the air in an almost comedic fashion before falling over. EVA 01 on the other hand hit the ground and slid a good three-quarters of a mile before stopping. Both EVAs were out of power by the time their pilots got over the shock of being slammed about their plugs.

"Do you think they're ok?" Spirit asked.

"You should know better than me Spirit," she replied. "They're fine."

She smiled softly but suddenly felt that presence again and started looking around. "Israfel wasn't the Angel I sensed," she said grimly. "This aura is far more powerful."

"Huh? I don't sense anything." Mayumi looked around for any sign of another Angel but she felt nothing.

Suddenly, Spirit gasped as a sudden telekinetic force slammed into her throwing her into a nearby building. Her body went though the brick wall kicking up dust and debris as she traveled.

"Spirit!" Mayumi yelled then suddenly sensed the Angelic presence. She gasped at the strength of the aura and turned to face it. What she saw surprised her.

It was a man with black hair almost slicked back with white highlights floating no more than 20' ahead of her. His eyes were like hers, pupiless but gold in color rather than her pure white. He wore a skin tight outfit of pure black with a wrap around at waist level buckled in place with a gold broach. A golden plated collar stretched down to below his neck and a large white cape flowed behind him. Connected to the back side of the collar like adornment were a pair of curved projections reaching over his head. A pair of torcs made of gold adorned each upper arm, and a chain of gold followed his collar to the torc on his right. His boots were black leather with gold plating over the toe and top of each foot and over the knees. A pair of black steel stylized bracers completed the look. His smile was sinister and charming at the same time. The overall look gave a feeling of Egyptian flare and screamed 'Supervillain'.

"Hello… sister," he said at length. His voice was sinister and seductive at the same time.

"You must be the prodigal son," she said sarcastically. Her posture shifted to something more defensive.

"Indeed. Allow me to introduce myself… I am Exodus. I have to admit that I did not believe that one of our own kind would turn against us. But watching you help the humans defeat Israfel dispelled all doubt to the contrary."

"I'll do what must be done to secure the future of the Lilum. Don't get in my way 'brother', I have no wish to harm you."

His smile broadened. "Do you think you can?"

"What?"

He chuckled lightly. "Do you think you can harm me? It is a simple question. Though I imagine the answer is not as simple. It would depend on your definition of 'harm'." His smile turned to a sneer. "Let's find out."

A sudden blast of pure white energy slammed into Exodus from his left. The smoke and haze left over from the impact hiding the effects of the attack as Spirit flew back in to combat range.

"You fight one of us, you fight us both!" she declared on no uncertain terms.

Mayumi stared at the ball of white haze as the smoke dissipated revealing Exodus to be completely untouched.

"I don't have time for you right now," Exodus growled as he turned his head in her direction. A bright light flashed in his eyes and an instantaneous explosion of massive proportions overtook Spirit throwing her at an impossible speed into the base of the same building she was thrown into a moment ago. Her body went though it like a bullet and the building itself began to crash down around her. Storm tried to fly after her but was rather rudely interrupted by Exodus planning his foot into her stomach with a hard kick.

Spirit's unconscious body slammed into the beach on the other side of the building with enough force to leave a 300' crater. The hit knocked the wind out of her and she reverted to human form, completely unconscious. This was a fight she wasn't prepared for… the sheer power of Adam's newest son was apparently far too much.

Mayumi recovered from the kick in time to block the next one. The force in which the attack struck her arms sent a shock though them. Exodus apparently had some power behind him, but she didn't know what else to expect. She conjured a wind gust to fly backwards quickly and get some distance. But the moment she was at a good range and preparing a bolt of lightning, he disappeared in a haze of black mist.

She didn't know if this was some form of invisibility or simply a trick but before she had even a half second to ponder this, a high pitched sound erupted behind her. She turned only to get a face full of Exodus's boot. The force of the kick threw her into a nearby building with enough force to collapse one entire side of it. The rest collapsed quickly after it.

Recovering in mid air, she concentrated a moment on healing the cut on her cheek from the impact only to have Exodus appear behind her again. This time she was ready and delivered a series of physical attacks of her own, all of which were blocked. The next thing she knew, she was sailing in reverse again as a burst of telekinetic force threw her into the remains of the building her body just took out.

Before Mayumi became a Superhero, she was a student at Jr High school and a bookworm. Before Kaji became a Supervillain, he was a triple agent and well versed in hand to hand combat. Combined with an extra infusion of power given to him by Adam equated to Exodus having a marked advantage in this combat. Throw in telekinesis, teleportation, and energy attacks rivaling hers and the battle became a no-win scenario.

But she wasn't the kind of person to simply give in. With raw determination fueling her body, she looked for any advantage she could find. She leaped into the air letting the wind carry her up as she charged each hand with electrical energy. Exodus's eyes flashed a moment before unleashing a pair of eyebeams at her. Storm quickly flew clockwise around him to get away from the beams and threw out her AT Field in an attempt to erode his own.

Exodus responded by telekinetically lifting a massive I-Beam from the ruined building and sending it flying at her. Storm couldn't dodge in time so she fired off both hands worth of electrical energy, superheating the metal beam in less than a second causing it to liquefy and fall short of its goal. Before she was able to recover from that however, Exodus controled another and slammed her with it as if she were a baseball. The metal clang resounded around them as Mayumi was sent on a one-way trip into a nearby residence. Thankfully, it was abandoned, however the impact set off a buried propane tank below the house sending the roof skyward and the ruined remained of what used to be a home in every direction.

Mayumi had managed to get her AT Field up as she traveled and thus was mostly protected from the impact and the resulting explosion, but damn did getting hit with a 900 lb metal truss hurt like hell. Mayumi looked up and quickly rolled as 6 more were sent like darts into her general vicinity, one impacting where she had landed. She took to the air only to have Exodus teleport in front of her and with a back flip an Olympic athlete would have been proud of, connected with one of his boots directly into her jaw.

Stunned for a brief moment, her upward travel was nearly arrested as Exodus flew at her. Mayumi managed to block the punch headed for her face and returned a kick to his chest. It felt like she kicked a stone wall but the grunt from Exodus proved that she at least can cause him some pain. Pushing back she fired off a cone of electricity striking him directly. He groaned for a second before quickly circling to Storm's right side. She spun around and tried to get a shot off but was hit at point blank range with a bolt of intense power directly in her chest.

Mayumi screamed as the pain threatened to black her out, but her determination held tight. Recovering from the blowback of that powerful blast, she stopped her self by planting her feet into the side of another large building she was being sent towards. Part of her chest piece was damaged in the attack exposing a little more skin then she'd like but she ignored it for now.

As she kicked off, she left a massive circular recession in the wall with numerous cracks spider-webbing their way across several floors of the building. Focusing her electrical energy into her hands and feet, she used the copper conductivity of her gauntlets and boots to charge up her attacks. Exodus wasn't used to her speed yet and was caught across the left side of his face with a powerful cross punch that sent several hundred thousand volts of electricity though his body. If he were human, he'd be dead. But even being Nephilim… that hurt like all hell.

With all the power coursing though her, Mayumi could feel her magnetic field starting to have an influence on metallic objects around her. She tried to ignore it for the moment concentrating on pummeling her brother. With a series of devastating attacks, that even Mayumi didn't think she could do, she finished with a double handed uppercut that sent Exodus higher into the air. Mayumi wasted no time in calling down a massive bolt of electrical fury from the heavens to strike him.

"Die!" she yelled as the bolt coursed straight through her target. Exodus groaned in pain but it didn't last long. With a sudden burst of strength he dissipated the energy around him ending the bolt. Mayumi looked on as a sliver of fear began to well its way into her.

"_Its like he's adapting. How am I supposed to beat him?"_

Then she heard him begin to laugh manically. "I'm impressed sister! You are certainly lasting longer then that wanna be did."

"Shut up," she yelled back.

"Well now, that's not nice." All his current wounds were already regenerated by this point. "I supposed I shouldn't be surprised at your strength, you are an Angel after all."

"Nephilim," she corrected.

"Not for long," he said ominously. "Certainly you've felt it… your humanity slipping away from you. In time no part of you will be Lilum anymore."

"Shut up!" she snapped. She knew he was right though. It started a while ago and slowly its been happening… every physical aspect of being human was slowly draining away from her under the relentless genetic power of the Angels.

Exodus simply laughed. "It is unavoidable child," he said with a sneer. "You humanity will be gone soon… and when it is, the Lilum will shun you. Where will you be then? You've done so much damage to us but just to show there are no hard feelings, I'm going to give you a chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of Adam. Join me and I'll get you back into the fold, I promise you."

Mayumi knew this could be her only chance to regain what she had lost. She could be whole again, but in doing so, she'd loose Shinji and all her friends at school. Eventually the human race itself would be destroyed or subverted. But her pain would finally end…

It took all of 3 seconds for her to decide. Consequently, it took a grand total of 3 to lash out at Exodus with her 'Thunder God Special'. The intense particle beam hit him directly, and threw him towards Tokyo-3. She followed behind preparing another blast while screaming at him.

"To hell with you! I won't betray my own beliefs and ideals! Human life means more than that, and I would die to protect it!"

The second blast was stopped dead by Exodus's right hand. "So be it," he whispered as his eyes flashed.

Mayumi never saw it coming. The air around her exploded with the force of a small N2 Mine, sending her into one of the towers of the city. She passed though it, causing the ammunition stored within to detonate as she left the other side. She impacted on the road leaving a crater that put a 300' hole in the first layer of armor above the Geofront.

She managed to hold on to consciousness but almost wish she didn't as she felt herself be telekinetically lifted into the air. The front of her damaged outfit was grabbed by Exodus who pulled her closer to him.

"You have caused me quite a bit of trouble child," he scolded. "But now it ends. You should have taken my offer while you had the chance." He pulled his right hand back curling his fingers like a claw. With the same motion, he wrapped his AT Field around the fingers intending to slam it into her stomach and rip her S2 Organ out of her body… an act that would kill her. "Prepare for Eternity."

Just as he was about to lunge in to destroy her, a massive energy blast that appeared to have wings and halo slammed into him. As he was focusing his AT Field on preparing to destroy Storm, he had no defense against the attack. The blast threw him though several buildings eventually slamming into the street leaving a sizeable dent in the road. Exodus picked himself up, missing a chunk of the top part of his costume and wounded. The energy cut into his shoulder and chest making breathing difficult, but his tight control over his own body managed to hold him together.

Spirit swooped in and caught Storm before she fell too far. She watched as Exodus was quickly regenerating from the damage caused by her 'Halo Wave'. Even his costume was reforming itself.

"Un…stopable…." Mayumi weakly said, unable to hold her power anymore and reverting to normal. "He… is… too strong. We… have to… flee."

Spirit decided Storm was right and quickly dove into the city as heavy rain fell across the land. Exodus stood up, but choose not to follow. Partly because for some reason, he couldn't sense either Storm or Spirit and also because visibility was reduced to almost nothing by the monsoon.

"Those two make an impressive team," he whispered to himself. "I'll need to find a way to separate them."

* * *

Spirit took Storm back to her house, where she felt she'd be safe for now. Entering though the window, she carefully laid an unconscious Storm down on her bed, as she powered down. "I don't have wings," she whispered. Thankfully, they were both completely dry thanks to Hikari's AT Field.

The door to her room opened and Hikari knew who it was without even looking. "Kodama. Can you get me the first aid kit… nowish?"

The older Horaki looked at the girl lying on the bed and decided it would be more prudent to save her questions for later. She quickly left the room coming back with the kit in under a minute.

"What happened," she finally asked.

"There is a new player in town," Hikari whispered harshly. She began to carefully tend to Mayumi's wounds. "Someone very strong."

"Stronger than you?" Kodama asked as she tried to help bind the wounds.

"And her."

"Who is this, I didn't even know you had a partner."

Hikari looked down. "She's one of my classmates. Her name is Mayumi. On the job, she goes by 'Storm'. She's… different."

Kodama removed part of Mayumi's outfit catching sight of a deep wound in her chest near her left shoulder. "Do you want to tell me why she has blue blood?"

Hikari shook her head. "I wish I knew for certain," she lied.

* * *

Kaji returned to his apartment over an hour later. "Well, that went better than I thought it would," he said aloud to no one. Asuka was still out, probably being debriefed. He'd have to pick her up later but for now, he had the apartment to himself. He still had to go though the work of moving her in officially, but that wouldn't take long.

_**How so? Technically you lost.**_

"I wasn't planning on winning that fight at all. I was merely testing their capabilities. I knew attempting to slay Storm would force the other to act rashly and show me her hand. They certainly make a good team. Speaking of which, what is with this Spirit person anyway? She's not one of us."

_**Her existence is an accident created by the Lilum and their experiments. She can listen in on the collective but she can't hear all of it. I don't think she even knows how yet, which is to our advantage.**_

"Can't you simply cut her off like you did to the Yamagishi girl?"

_**Not that simple in this case. The angels were born of me. Storm's existence was validated first by Ramiel's arrival coinciding with the birth of Mayumi Yamagishi, which forged a bond between them. When Ramiel died, he passed his soul and energies on to her, making her the new Angel of Thunder. As such, I can abandon her and cut her from the collective, which I did. Spirit is born of Lilum and her accidental exposure to angelic essence is what transformed her. But she is not an Angel in the strictest sense, and therefore is like a hacker jacked into our network that we can't trace… to use a euphemism that you would be familiar with.**_

"I see," he mused. "Well, time to put phase 1 into action I think. Time to let an old friend know I'm here. She never even saw me on the carrier."

He picked up the phone and dialed a number he found in the database. Being a Special Inspector gave him access to all sorts of personal data on NERV Personnel.

"Hello," came the voice of Captain Misato Katsuragi.

"Well well well, long time no hear from. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me."

There was a pause. "Kaji? How the hell did get this number?!"

"Well I can't say I didn't expect that reaction from you. After all, we didn't exactly part on the best of terms."

"Your talent for understatement hasn't waned I see. Answer the question Kaji! How did you get my number."

"Its actually quite easy since I'm now a Special Inspector there at the Geofront."

"Special Inspector?" she almost shouted.

"Well that and I am Asuka's guardian. Speaking of which, is she done debriefing yet?"

"No, I was asked to leave the room. Gendo wanted to talk to the two of them, probably about the anomalies."

"Ah yes, this Spirit and Storm I keep hearing about."

"It gets worse, there is a 3rd one now. No name on him yet."

Kaji smiled to himself. "Any information on him yet?"

"Just that's whoever he is, he's incredibly powerful, can teleport and apparently has it in for Storm."

"Not much to go on, is there?"

"Not really." There was another pause. "You were on the carrier weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you talk to me?"

"I knew you would not be happy to see me. Look, Misato. I want to try to patch things up between us. I know what I did to you back then was uncalled for."

"Just uncalled for Kaji? You used me!"

"I know… and words will never be able to express how sorry for what I did to you. I just want us to be friends and bury the hatchet, that's all."

There was a moment of silence. "I… I don't know… You've changed…"

"Not as much as you would like, more than likely. But yes, I am more responsible then I used to be." He waited a moment. "We can discuss it over dinner, perhaps? No ulterior motives here I promise… just a nice quiet dinner between friends."

"Do I need to bring a gun?" she asked sarcastically.

"Only if it makes you feel more comfortable." He said jokingly.

He heard a sigh on the other line. "Ok Kaji, you win. I'll have dinner with you. But I swear, if you even so much as hint at trying to get me into bed, I will castrate you."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Hours after the battle ended Mayumi woke up with a start. She was back in her own bed at home, with Shinji next to her holding her hand and stroking the hair from her face.

"Easy May-chan," he whispered. "You're safe now."

"Spirit?"

"Hikari is fine," he replied.

Surprise covered her face. "How did you know about that?"

"I suspected after her near collapse just before the angel showed up. So I took a chance and baited her. Her reaction all but confirmed it."

She smiled lightly. "You're more perceptive then most people give you credit for."

He smiled in return. "I don't care if anyone else notices. In fact… it probably be to my advantage if no one does."

"How did I get back here?"

"I went to Hikari's house after the debriefing. Her sister Kodama tried to stop me from entering, but Hikari relented and let me come up. I was worried when I saw you, but when Hikari told me you were regenerating fast, I was relieved."

She looked away for a moment. "I'm sorry you had to find out about Spirit like this."

"To tell you the truth May-chan," he whispered, "I was a little disappointed. I was hoping it would take longer for me to figure it out. But things being what they are, I guess this was as good a time as any."

Mayumi nodded. As her mind began to drift back to the battle, Shinji spoke up again.

"So who was he?"

Mayumi looked at him. "An angel," she replied. "The youngest of us. He called himself Exodus, although I'm sure he has a more angelic sounding name. Right now 3rd Impact is not his goal. He was playing with me, but he won't forever… The All-Father sent him to kill me."

"No," Shinji whispered. "I won't let that happen."

"Shinji-kun, you can't help me this time. This isn't like Jet Alone. He has all the power of an angel in a package a fraction of the size. He's powerful, cunning and relentless. He'll come for me again, and I'll have to face him. I don't know when or how I'll even beat him… but… he will come none-the-less." She paused, making sure Shinji understood. "And when he does, I must be the one to destroy him."

**End of Chapter VII**

**

* * *

**

Translations:

"Komm mir nicht in die Quere!" (Get out of my way!) This was said during Shinji's return to school and Asuka's confrontation.

"Ich bin ja sowas von am arsch." (I am so screwed.) This was said when Asuaka saw the twin Angels after her ill fated attack

* * *

A/N: This ran a lot longer than I thought it would. I was actually considering breaking it up into 2 chapters but I decided it wasn't that overboard.

Mike313: Perhaps unnecessary on a certain level however, the transfiguration changed him mentally as well as physically. We've already seen that Angels have little sense of morality. This is playing to that. Don't worry, not going to be writing any CP here… this is a Comic Book Story after all… I need to keep it clean. Allusions are not out of the question though.

And yeah, I f'ing love that spike launcher too!

Also, thanks for the rundown on Spirit, it will be quite helpful… as you can see, I already put part of it to good use.

Ryousanki: Thanks again for helping with the German.

All: Thanks again for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

* * *

There is no knowledge that is not power....


	8. Dark Storm, Part I

A/N: Its been a while since I last updated this. Bloodlust took a lot of my attention and school is just as bad… so here goes, the long awaited 8th chapter. This one is kind of long... just as a warning....

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**VIII: Dark Storm, Part I**

* * *

"Now hold very still," Ritusko said. "This may sting a bit."

Gendo sat in one of the hospital chairs as Dr. Akagi injected a local anesthetic into his right hand. He barely even winced when the thin needle pierced his skin, mostly due to the sheer amount of scar tissue there. Once the fluid was injected into the skin, akagi used a surgical scalpel and cut though his skin occasionally using a soft material to blot up the blood. Gendo noted that the anesthetic did not reach as deep as she was cutting but also noticed it didn't hurt nearly as much as it probably should have.

Once a sufficient amount of scar tissue was removed, Akagi opened the case and removed the embryo of Adam with a pair of metal tongs. The embryo was warmed sufficiently and had been out of cryo for several hours. She carefully placed it in the hole in his hand watching with some fear as the embryo seemed to bury itself deeper and grow veins into Gendo's hand. Within seconds, old scar tissue faded away and healthy tissue replaced it.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I am fine Doctor," he replied as he stood up and retrieved his gloves. He knew he shouldn't even be able to move his right hand with the drugs still in the tissue but that already faded under the rejuvenating presence of the embryo. "If I am needed I will be in my office." Without another word, he left.

"Just like that," she said to an empty room. "You now have the 1st Angel embedded in your hand… and 'I'll be in the office'." She knew she shouldn't have been surprised by this, but with Gendo, she always held a hope that there was something still human beneath that cold exterior. Now she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was truly inhuman. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.

Gendo entered his office quietly. Not even Fuyutsuki knew he had passed by. He walked across the cavernous office and seated himself behind is desk. As he went to pick up a pen, his hand suddenly stopped obeying him and cramped up in a claw like configuration. He grabbed onto his wrist as it suddenly began to ache and heard laughter in the back of his head.

_**You fool! Did you truly believe you could possess my power?**_

"I will possess what I choose," he grunted out defiantly. "We subjugated you once, we will again." His left hand reached into his desk drawer and drew out a shard of metal about the size of a railroad spike. Clutching it in his left hand he stabbed it into his right hand. The thin blade momentarily struck a small AT Field around the embryo but failed to stop it and it when though the embryo and out the other side into his desk, effectively pinning his hand to the desk.

Adam screamed in his mind. _**Impossible! What… have you… done?!**_

"Did you really think our studies of your kind would yield no benefits to us?" he replied calmly, as if he hadn't just impaled his hand and pain was a suggestion rather than a feeling. "This shard of metal is part of a project acquaintances of mine have been working on… a type of metal that simulates the power of the Lance of Longinus. My spies managed to gather samples of the metal and now I keep one as a souvenir of sorts. I suppose I should be grateful I kept it within reach."

_**You… Lilum have… become… too smart… for your own… good…**_

"Perhaps from your point of view," Gendo retorted.

_**You still need me… for your scenario. You… can't… kill… me…**_

"Actually I can," he replied. "You see… now that I have your body, I can trap your spirit within me and bend it to my will. I had planed for just such an contingency. This would have been so much easier on you if you remained dormant. Situation being what it is, I might have been able to put up with your ornery behavior, however I can no longer afford to take risks."

With these final words, Gendo ripped the shard of metal out in and slammed it in once more… this time at the approximate location of Adam's Core. The metal struck true and shattered the core instantly. Soon Gendo's body which had already absorbed part of the angel, would absorb the remains of the 1st Angel and its soul was now trapped within the megalomaniac with no hope of escape.

Deep within Gendo's body, an S2 Organ began to develop, barely a few cells in size for now. Within a matter of hours however, it would be the size of a small lime… twenty-four and it would be the size of a grapefruit.

* * *

At the moment of Adam's death, Kaji suddenly collapsed in his apartment and balled up in pain as if he were struck with the metal shard himself. Asuka being home at the time heard the collapse and ran into the living room to find her crush on the floor writhing in pain.

"Mein Gott! Kaji!" she ran and nearly slid across the floor to be at his side, taking a hold of his hand.

He was in far too much pain to respond. While the other Angels, many of which had not yet arrived on Earth, roared in pain and felt the sudden loss, Adam had placed much of his own essence into the creation of Vahu/Exodus. All the Angels, connected though the collective, felt each other's misery… knew each other experiences and relied on a connection to The All-Father Adam to stay sane though what would normally be telepathic chaos.

Kaji's pain was two fold. The loss of connection to the All-Father was especially painful due to his direct connection to him. The second cause was part of Adam's backup plan, should the worst-case-scenario play itself out as it just did… Kaji, being the youngest, closest to Adam and potentially the most powerful of all the Angels… would become the collective.

"E… Ec…" Kaji tried to speak but his voice was not working correctly.

"What is?" Asuka almost cried. "What are you trying to say?"

"Need… Excedrin."

Asuka immediately scrambled to her feet and ran into the bathroom where most of the meds were kept. Quickly locating the pills, she grabbed the tumbler on the counter and filled it with water before rushing back into the living room. Kaji had managed to get himself into a sitting position against the wall.

"What happened?" she asked while stroking his hair.

"Migraine from hell," he lied. "They're rare but I am a tad prone to them. This one wasn't the worst I've had… but it was close."

Asuka continued to look on concerned. Anyone who had known the second child would realize this was a look no one other than Kaji would likely ever see.

"Are you going to be ok now?" she asked. He nodded. "Good. You should go rest then… this light can't be good for you."

Kaji carefully stood up with some help from Asuka. She was a stronger girl then he realized. She walked with him to his room, making sure he made it ok. Kaji fell onto the bed holding his head. He may have lied about the cause of the pain, but he still had the pain none-the-less. The darkness of his room helped him begin to overcome the pain.

He heard Asuka make her way over to the door to the bedroom and he heard the door close. At first he thought she was gone until he felt the weight on his bed shift ever so slight from Asuka's minimal weight, and felt her lay next to him. Clinging to him gently, she stayed with him there bringing a small smile to Kaji's face as he slipped from consciousness.

* * *

It's been two days since the battle over Tokyo-3 and Shinji knew he couldn't get away with staying with Mayumi yet another night, but with a little convincing, Misato did allow him to take her back to their apartment for a while… provided nothing dirty took place. Shinji of course turned completely red at the mention as did the mostly still shy Mayumi.

That afternoon, they arrived at the Katsuragi apartment. Shinji announced his homecoming as was tradition and Mayumi was now standing in front of a most peculiar sight.

"Is… is that a penguin?" she questioned sounding unsure of herself. "He soooo cute!"

Shinji was taken off guard by her suddenly rather childish display. As she kneeled down to get a better look at their avian roommate.

"That's Pen Pen," Shinji replied.

Mayumi placed her arms around the bird as he looked puzzled at her for a moment before nuzzling her neck and right shoulder with his beak. This caused Mayumi to squeal and laugh like a little girl.

"That tickles!" she managed between chuckles.

"Well," Misato commented, "he really likes you! I haven't seen him act like that around new people as long as I've had him."

"He's kinda cuddly!" Mayumi replied. "Where did you get him?"

"Well, the company that was doing genetic research cloned quite a few of them. They were trying to save the species by adapting them to the warmer temperatures after 2nd Impact. They released most of them into the wild where they flourished, but I managed to convince them to let me keep one."

"He scared the heck out of me the first time I saw him," Shinji commented. "He's really neat to have around though. He's very smart."

"_Sometimes I think he knows more about what's going on than I do,"_ he thought to himself.

"Well Shinji-kun, you did kind of run into him at a bad time."

"How's that," Mayumi asked.

"Oh no," Shinji interrupted. "Don't tell her that story!"

"There's a story?" Mayumi asked, her interest piqued now.

Misato chuckled. "Shinji was going in to take a bath and Pen Pen scared him. He came running out here to tell me there was a penguin in the apartment but he was so discombobulated that he forgot to at least grab a towel."

"Oh no!" Mayumi replied, turning red on Shinji's behalf.

"Not exactly my finest hour," Shinji commented as his face turning red as well.

Misato chuckled. "They've gotten along better since then."

"Hey, let me show you to your room." Shinji interjected, hoping to get around the conversation. Mayumi nodded and stood up, now holding the bird who seemed relatively content with her.

"I hope its not too small," he said as he led her into the oversized storage closet with a window.

"It's fine. Even if I was living here full time, I could probably fit all my stuff in here and still be relatively comfortable… assuming of course I could store my books elsewhere."

Misato walked up behind her and slipped a card into her hand. "This is for the front door, incase neither of us are home."

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"We'll let you get situated now." With that, Misato grabbed Shinji by the shoulders and dragged him along.

Mayumi gently placed Pen Pen down and walked into the room. The penguin stepped in behind her looking around as if this were a room he never even knew existed. She saw that it had a futon and a small desk but not much else in the way of furniture. It needed to be cleaned a little but knew it probably could have been worse.

"So what do you think Pen Pen?" she asked the penguin. "You think I'd fit in here for a bit?"

Pen Pen squawked at her while flapping his flipper like wings.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said with a smile and sat down on the futon.

Elsewhere in the house, Shinji looked on at his guardian as she went to the fridge to get another can of Yabisu.

"So you really are ok with this Misato-san?"

"Of course Shinji-kun," she replied. "And I was actually kidding about the whole dirty thing. Just don't get her pregnant."

"M-Misato!" he exclaimed turning red.

She chuckled at him again. "Too easy!" Just then the phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"It's me," came the voice of Kaji.

"Kaji? You don't sound so good. Too much partying last night?"

"I only wish… Migraine from hell."

"Ouch, that I can sympathize with."

"I know where were going to go out tonight, but with my head acting the way it is I'll need to postpone."

"That's ok. I'm just glad you didn't stand me up."

"I wouldn't do that to you… well anymore."

"Well we have grown up a bit haven't we."

Kaji chuckled. "I guess so. Come by my office on Wednesday and we'll talk over a reschedule."

"Sounds good. I'll see you then." With that they said their goodbyes and hung up.

"Sounds like Kaji's having issues," Shinji commented.

"Well, it happens to all of us. I wasn't really ready to see him tonight anyway."

Shinji frowned. "The history that bad?"

"Well I'm not going to talk about it but… I guess it depends on your point of view," she replied.

"I really don't know that much about this stuff," he admitted.

"So innocent."

* * *

Inside the Angelic Collective....

"Kill them!," the hard voice of Zeruel screamed. "Kill them all! We need to attack, now!"

"Patience," Exodus chided. "We must stick to the scenario."

"Patience hell! We want Gendo dead! The Lilum must be made to pay for what they have done!"

The strangly creepy feminine voice of Matariel spoke up at this point. "Calm yourself Zeruel. Exodus speaks true, we must be patient and continue the scenario as outlined."

A voice like a 12 year old girl echoed as the Arael injrected, "Wisdom there is in your words, but abide this… we, can not!"

"The scenario," began Leliel with a female voice and an almost seductive undertone, "is not fluid enough for such troubling times. Perhaps the All-Father made a mistake?"

"Perhaps," Exodus conceded. "But we have much to consider now. That the Lilum have devised a weapon powerful enough to destroy the All-Father is cause for great concern."

The voice of a young man echoed as Sachiel spoke up, "Let us not forget that it was the ingenuity of the Lilum that dragged us into this war in the first place. My defeat should have been a warning of how far the Lilum have advanced. Exodus is right… this is not a battle that can be won by sheer force, we must continue the scenario and weaken the resolve of the Lilum, piece by piece until the time is right."

"I concur with Sachiel," said Shamshel, who sounded more like a wise man then a whip toting angel of death.

"As do I," came the gruff voice of Gaghiel.

"Very well," Zeruel growled, "I shall play this game for now. But when it is my turn. I will not hold back my wrath."

"And if you succeed all the better," Exodus agreed. "For now, we will wait until Sandalphon awakens and see what comes of it. If any direct action is needed, I alone will do so. Do I make myself clear? The scenario can not be altered."

* * *

Kaji found himself being called in by Commander Ikari shortly after his communion with the collective. He knew this would happen soon since he knew what had happened to Adam. It wasn't yet clear to him if Gendo knew his secret or not.

When he entered the megalomanic's office, it became clear that something was wrong. The Commander's aura felt like that of an Angel. When the door closed behind him, an audible lock triggered.

"Come sit down Agent Ryoji," came his voice. "Or should I all you… Exodus?"

Kaji smirked. "Exodus will do if you choose. So Commander, have you become the 1st Messenger or are you something else entirely?"

"Something else," he replied, his face never moving from its comfortable position known throughout NERV simply as the "Gendo Pose", his hands folded before him as he leans forward with his elbows on his desk. "I have yet to determine how to fully leverage this new power but I suppose this puts us at an awkward point in our… relationship."

"I suppose that really depends on you Commander," he replied.

"Indeed. However this new development puts a bit of a strain on my original scenario."

"How so?" Kaji asked.

"I won't need to go as far to get what I want, and the old men should not be allowed to fulfill their desires. With this new power I can do more with the world intact then ravaged by Armageddon. Which leads to our current problem."

"That it does," Kaji replied.

"You are still attempting to forward Adam's Scenario and this is something I can not allow." Gendo began to stand up. "I know you have strength behind you, but you are no match for me now."

Kaji laughed. "What is it with power infused Lilum that boosts their ego to impossible levels. If you had half the power I had at my disposal, I might be worried."

"We could continue this verbal pissing contest but it would be pointless to do so."

"Indeed," Kaji said as he eyes glowed. A pair of eyebeams struck Gendo directly in the chest causing him to stumble one single step back before recovering. Beams in his chest not withstanding, he began to walk around his desk as if the beams were doing little actual damage.

Kaji keep up the energy blast watching as the clothing over Gendo's upper body ignited and burned away followed by his skin. But the beams would penetrate no deeper. Unable to keep up the beams anymore, he stopped and glared at his chest in disbelief. The skin was gone but the muscle beneath was composed of organic metal. The energy inherit within the metal was similar to the shard of metal that was a copy of the Lance of Longinus.

He threw up his AT Field as alarms began to blaze only to feel Gendo eroding it rapidly. "What the hell are you?!" he yelled.

Gendo raised his hand and fired a blast of white energy that rippled like a lightning bolt striking him directly and throwing him though his office door to the other side of the hall. He landed on his back and continued skidding until he struck the metal wall and almost went completely though it.

"Call me Doom."

The sound drew Fuyutsuki out of his office and he saw his Commander walking down the hall towards where Kaji ended up. The skin on his chest was beginning to regenerate but he caught a glimpse of the metal underneath. _"What have you done to yourself Ikari?"_

"Fuyutsuki, please evacuate this floor. I will handle this myself."

Kaji dragged himself to his feet as his Exodus costume materialized around him. "I won't be defeated so easily."

"So you say," Doctor Doom replied. "However we both know this fight will not end favorably for you.

Exodus tried to grab him with telekinesis but all that did was slow him for a moment before the power he had stolen from mankind's greatest enemy allowed him to resist its pull and plow though it. Before Exodus could fly or even teleport away, Doom grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him though the hallway back into his office. Exodus slammed into his desk at full speed and got up in time to get hit with a nasty uppercut. It felt like he got punched by a jackhammer and the force lifted him off the ground. Doom then delivered a straight punch before he could land sending him out the window into the Geofront proper.

Exodus took to the air, recovering from the shot. Doctor Doom stood at the now very much opened window and glared at him.

"You can't fly can you?" Exodus said with a sneer.

"You think I need to?" Doom retorted then threw both his hands forward lancing Exodus though his stomach and chest at the same time. Before Exodus could recover he suddenly found himself face to face with him. "Of course, I can levitate and teleport."

Suspended in midair, he balled both of his fists and slammed then down into the middle of his back sending him into the ground leaving a small crater. Before Exodus could recover, Doom dropped into him planting both feet into his back. He then stepped off and kicked him into the air in front of him grabbing him by the ankles in midair. Then he began to spin, faster and faster using Exodus as the balance point for the centrifugal force he needed for this maneuver. At maximum speed, he let go sending Exodus into the wall of the Geofront with enough force to make a hole 30' wide. Exodus fell out of the hole panting.

Doom appeared before him and thrust something into his stomach, causing a tremendous amount of pain. He felt it move though him reaching his S2 organ and clutch it.

"What… have you… done to me?" Exodus demanded.

"I have placed a device in your body that holds a shard of faux-Longinus Steel. The point of it is now aimed directly at the core of your S2 organ. I will give you commands, and if you do not comply, the device will begin penetrating your organ causing untold pain to you. Now then," he started, "shall we discuss something new, or would you like to continue this conversation?"

"What… do you… want from me," he sputtered. "Your just going to kill me anyway."

"How foolish do you think I am?" Doom spat. "If I kill you, the rest of the Angels will abandon the scenario and attack all at once. There are still far too many of them to deal with based on our current resources, but that will change soon. However if you do not wish to end up an experiment or worse Exodus, you will do exactly as I tell you. You work for me now. If you do not, I can and will make your life a living hell."

Exodus stood up although he was the worse for wear. Bowing his head in weakness he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Storm is becoming too much of an issue to deal with and her partner makes matters far worse. You will break her."

"Not so simple. She's becoming more like us every day."

"You are wrong," he countered. "She still clings to her human existence. What we need to do to completely break her is give her unadulterated tragedy and misery."

"I was already planning on doing that."

"Good, I won't keep you." He turned back towards the main NERV Pyramid where his office window was blasted opened. "You're lucky I don't take that out of your paycheck Inspector."

"You can't control me forever," He protested as he began to fade out.

"I don't need to control you forever."

* * *

Just when Mayumi thought she'd be able to spend some time with the boy she loved, he got called away to Mt Asama. She already knew why and played out every conceivable strategy she could on how to deal with the young Sandalphon. Eventually she determined that there were some places she just shouldn't go and some Angels she just would not be able to help fight. Her AT Field would not be enough to protect her from the immense pressure and heat of the boiling magma.

"I hope he's ok," she whispered. A sharp pain in her stomach caused her to double over and she knew immediately what was causing it. The Fruit of Life within her was growing and changing her. She found out that her blood had turned blue… regardless of what form she was in. Now she would have to live in fear of anyone seeing her with a cut. She was getting stronger, faster, more powerful… but the parts of her she cherished the most were slowly being consumed. Her capacity to feel joy was beginning to fade. Sadness threatened to overwhelm her at that realization but even that sense was dulled.

And she knew there was only one way to stop this. Her Lilum side had to be refreshed by contact with another soul. She needed Shinji to become one with her. For the Lilum, the act of making love is looked upon as a dirty thing, sometimes even forbidden except under certain circumstances depending on where in the world you are. For an Angel, the ability to become one with a member of the opposing gender was as much a sacred and spiritual experience as it was a carnal pleasure. She knew others would look down at her for wanting to do something like this at her age, but if she wanted to stay sane, she had too.

However actual intercourse was not even a requirement of the love making process, though it did make it more enjoyable. Oneness and closeness would be enough but it had to be mutual and sincere in ways normal Lilum have a hard time committing to. Somehow she knew Shinji would be ready to do just that soon, but she worried that it would be too late to save what little of her was still human.

Carefully, Mayumi guided herself back to the sofa, gently clutching her stomach. She felt the couch move and saw Pen Pen looking on with an almost worried expression on his penguin face.

"I'll be ok Pen Pen," she whispered. The she almost shrieked as another pain overtook her causing her to roll on her side and ball up into a fetal position. While rolled there her brain started showing flashes from inside the collective. Her eyes shot opened wondering how she could start to see it again if she was completely cut off from it.

Then she heard the voice of Exodus in her mind. _**Feeling sorry for yourself dear sister? You should have accepted my offer to return. Now look at you.**_

"Shut up!" she yelled.

_**Aw, did I give you a hard time last time? You're lucky that abomination was with you, otherwise you wouldn't even be talking to me now.**_

"Spirit is not an abomination. You're the freak show, nimrod!" She heard him chuckle at that.

_**It is so easy to get a rise out of you. I can't wait until you're fully one of us.**_

"I'll never let myself become the monster you are."

_**You speak as if you actually had control over it. You feel it now don't you? You feel the changes….**_

She winced in pain as she stood up and headed for her room. "I will resist it as long as I have to." Mayumi picked up a case and opened it revealing her Storm Costume. She was quite proud of the repairs she made to it. "You won't take me." As she started changing cloths again she heard his laughing continue.

_**You're pain has only just begun… Soon, like it or not, you will be an Angel. Then you will be under my control.**_

"Keep talking," she said as she attempted to pinpoint his location though the collective. "I'll catch up to you soon."

_**You know, you don't have to try to trace me down… not when I'm so willing to tell you where I am and what I'm doing. I'm about to take a little field trip over to Tokyo-2 and I think you should join me… after all you have a family member there don't you?**_

"Momma! What are you thinking about you freak?!"

_**I was thinking I have some time to kill….**_

"No!" she shrieked out. She was out of the house in less than 10 seconds and rocketing at fast as the winds would carry her towards Tokyo-2.

* * *

Gendo sat back in his office. The window already repaired as he stared at a computer screen. On it a visual displayed Storm leaving the city like a bat out of hell.

A short message on the screen interrupted him. "Operation on Mt Asama has begun."

"Everything is going as planned," he whispered.

Kozo Fuyutsuki stood next to his desk watching as Gendo worked on some strange device. He wasn't sure what was happening now that Gendo had changed so much but thankfully the battle in the Geofront was kept on the down low and nobody seems to know what really happened. Even the surveillance footage was wiped. It would have seemed impossible for something like that to go unnoticed but such was the power in the hands of Gendo Ikari.

"What of the scenario?" He asked him.

"All things change in time my friend," he replied as he examined another part before placing it within the device. "Third Impact is no longer an option. Soon I will have what I need to resurrect Yui. Then I can turn my attention to the useless old men of SEELE and eliminate them all."

Kozo of all people knew that power corrupted, and this much power in the hands of his old student was far too much. He knew Gendo was intelligent, but what he was working on appeared to require several degrees in engineering to even get to function… whatever it did.

Gendo stood up with his new device that appeared to be some kind of all metal backpack with small nozzles of some form. He placed it on the thing he had been working on for the past 3 hours or so… some form of costume consisting of a from of chainmail under layer with light plate over it. For being a seemingly medieval design, it was highly advanced, carrying computer telemetry and what appeared to be high mobility flight adaption. The grim mask, cloak and hood were a testament to the evil he had evolved into.

This would be the visage of Doctor Doom, the man Kozo had little doubt would soon control the world. He wasn't sure of the grand designs of this mastermind, but he knew the extent Gendo was willing to go to get what he wanted.

As Gendo began to put his armor on and check his equipment over Kozo looked on. "Where are you going Ikari?"

"Now the operation at Mt Asama is underway, I am free to proceed with the next phase. I will be assisting Exodus in his attempt to eliminate Storm… or break her…."

The Sub-Commander frowned on that. "I still can't believe you are actually working with Kaji on this."

"He has his uses Sensei," he replied. "But I need to keep him busy. He will turn on me given half an opportunity. Speaking of which, have the preparations been made for the next Angel?"

"Not yet, we're still working on the back up power systems for the Geofront. We'll have it done soon."

"Good," he replied as he typed out a few keys on his arm computer before placing his mask over his face. "Hold my calls."

With that he teleported out of the office.

* * *

The skies over Tokyo-2 darkened as Storm approached. In her heart she knew she was already too late but she refused to give up hope. Little by little her humanity was disappearing… losing her mother would be too much for her to handle. She didn't want to think about what she'd do to Exodus if this were to come to pass.

Unfortunately as she flew to the center of the city, the dark figure floating there told her all she needed to know.

Exodus waited patiently for her to arrive. In his left hand he had her mother, held by the back of her clothing tightly to prevent her from falling. His right gently stroked her head as she was petrified with fear at being at such a height.

"Put her down!" Storm yelled as she approached.

"That's close enough, Storm." She stopped, floating there hoping this wouldn't end badly.

"Please put her down," she repeated. Nervousness filtered into her. If he simply dropped her she had no idea if she could catch her.

"Oh but why? We're having such a good time here, aren't we Nariko?"

"Please," Nariko whispered. "I… I have a family… don't hurt me…"

"Well if you wanted to see your family again, you just have to look in front of you."

She looked at Storm and the connection was made. Her eyes opened wide, "Mayumi?"

"Yeah mom," Storm replied. "It's me. Exodus please leave her out of this. This is between you and me."

Exodus chuckled lightly. "Ah but this is partially about her," he replied. "You are resisting the gift given to you by Ramiel, trying to stay human which is a fallacy in the highest regard. You need to embrace your difference and let go of your humanity."

"What does this have to do with my mother!"

"She's one of the anchors holding you to your humanity," he explained. "With her out of the way, you will fall ever faster into our clutches."

Nariko spoke up at this point. "Mayumi! Whatever happens to me… whatever this is about… don't give up! Don't fall into what this madman is going on about!"

"Silence wench," Exodus hissed as his hand clutched the back of her neck hard enough to make her yelp in pain.

"Damn you Exodus!" Storm yelled. "Leave her out of this! Please don't kill my momma! I-I'll do anything you want just let her go!"

"Anything?" he clarified.

"No! Don't do it Mayumi!" Nariko yelled despite the hold on her.

"I'll rejoin the collective if that is what you wish…" Storm whispered. "I'll stay out of the war just don't hurt her… please…."

"Well now," he began, "that's was something I never expected to hear. Sadly though, it is too little too late. You had your opportunity, now you get to pay the price." And with as little care one has when opening a bottle of soda, Exodus grabbed Nariko by the top of her head and twisted until a resounding crack sounded the finality of his actions.

"No!" Storm screamed as he let the now limp body drop from his hand. As Storms eyes followed it he launched himself forward and slammed her into a nearby building. Glass shattered and concrete cracked around her.

_She's dead…_

She began to fall but Exodus grabbed her and slammed her into the wall, forcing her to stay there.

_I couldn't save her…_

She didn't even feel the pain as Exodus hammered her stomach and chest with blow after blow, pummeling her.

_I've lost…_

"_Whatever happens to me… whatever this is about… don't give up!"_

Exodus drew has hand back. "Your turn to die," he sneered as he wrapped his AT Field around his hand, intending to finish what he started days ago.

_You will pay!_

He thrust it forward with all the force of a wrecking ball only to have the attack stopped by her right hand.

"What?!"

"I will make you suffer for what you've done!" Her left hand thrust forward grabbing Exodus by the throat and sending the force of a lightning bolt though it. The explosion of energy blew out a 40' area of the building around the impression made by Storm. She then kicked him off with enough force to send him into the neighboring building.

"I'll rip you in two!" she screamed as she charged into him. Her gauntlets and boots were fully charged as she laid in blow after blow against him. He felt his ribs crack, his arm snap and his neck strain against the assault. She was laying into him with all her anger, all of her hatred and every ounce of her rage.

Finally Exodus got his wits about him and used telekinesis to rip an I-beam out of a nearby building, slamming it into her at maximum velocity. The shot sent her into the ground. But she was recovering far more quickly then she did during their last battle.

Exodus cracked his ribs and arm back into place and quickly regenerated the damage. "It seems you have some fight left in you after all. And here I thought you'd break completely."

"You took her from me!" she screamed at him. "I'll have your head for this!"

"Try and take it, Angel of Thunder."

Storm leapt back into the air at full speed intending to go toe-to-toe with him when Exodus teleported. She waited a split second before she flipped forward. Her target appeared behind her just in time to take a pair of electrified boot heels to the chin. As she settled right side up, she spun laterally delivering a massive backhand across his face and knocking him away.

Before Mayumi could reorient herself, a chunk of concrete slammed into her breaking apart on impact and knocking her senseless. His telekinesis was getting annoying….

As her rage intensified she found her AT Field was again pulling her gauntlets and boots towards each other. It was then that it finally hit her… Her powers drew a lot of electrical energy. When coiled around her like this, the energy became magnetic in nature.

Exodus sent another metal girder at her and this time she smiled. Holding a hand out, she stopped it in mid air. His shock at this sudden display of power was short lived as she used magnetic energy to propel the object back at him at over 500 miles per hour. He managed to back hand the girder away from him, only to watch Storm lift several cars from the street and hurl those at even faster rates. Exodus was about to bat them away as well when he suddenly realized at these speeds they would explode if he hit them, and concentrated on dodging instead.

His eyes flashed as a cross-shaped explosion detonated on top of Storm. But as the smoke cleared, he could see she was protected by her magnetic AT Field.

_I'm eroding her field aren't I?_

Storm suddenly rushed forward slamming into him and sending him flying back. It wasn't until he stopped that he realized he was set up. The 6 cars she threw were still floating in air. With a hand motion from Storm they all slammed into him, crushing down into an orb of metal, plastic and gas tanks. Storm then drew her hands up towards the floating mass and hit it with a stroke of lightning, setting them off like a huge bomb.

"I doubt that finished him," she whispered and was proven right as he rocketed out of the explosion seemingly unharmed. Storm raised her hands to the heavens again and Exodus was struck by a bolt of lightning twice as powerful as the one she tried to hit him with before. The sudden shock made him stop. Suddenly the air around him became violent.

He looked around and found himself inside of an airborne tornado, the debris from the explosion where sucked into it placing him inside the world's biggest blender. He tried to teleport out of it but getting slammed into debris at over 500 mph tends to have a negative impact on one's ability to concentrate on spatial relationships and the bending thereof.

"Now to finish this for good," she yelled as she began to focus her energy into a particle beam. "This time you won't es…" at that moment a massive beam of concussive energy slammed into her sending her though a nearby building and onto the roof of another. She never saw it coming.

As she picked herself up she saw a series of 9 micro-missiles flying at her. She couldn't get off the building in time and top 3 floors exploded sending her flying into the air. Unable to get control of her movement she ended up right into the path of her new assailant. A single punch to the stomach knocked all the wind out of her at once and had enough force to nearly black her out. She felt herself get grabbed by the front of her outfit by something cold and metallic then thrown into the ground hard. A crater over 90' wide opened up and caused the buildings nearby to rock, lean or collapse depending on their distance. Storm tried to get back up but suddenly found a foot on her upper chest.

She looked up to see what was attacking her and got a good look at what would be the newest thorn in the side of humanity….

Standing over 6' tall and armored from head to toe was a man who resembled a nightmare. Glowing red eyes stared though a vaguely skeletal metal mask. The cloak and hood added a degree of scary to the outfit as well as a sure sign of megalomania.

"She's giving you more trouble this time Exodus," the man replied with a metallic undertone to his voice.

"Even without her partner she's formidable Doctor," Exodus replied as he landed next to him, heavily lacerated from his meeting in the tornado.

"Then it would appear my presence here was a good thing."

"Oh… God," Storm whispered she realized that this guy, whatever he was, was far more powerful than even Exodus was. She was completely outclassed now with no hope of escape.

"I'm probably closer to Satan. But if you must call me something, you can call me Doctor Doom. You've been a thorn in my side for a while now, Miss Yamagishi. Hopefully this little exercise has taught you the futility of it all." He stepped off of her then kicked her hard knocking her clear of the crater. Exodus watched as the heat cones from jet trails lit from his boots and his back beneath the cloak which was apparently immune to the heat. The force of these jets combined with his levitation ability for aerial control sent him airborne.

Landing near the fallen Nephilim, he crouched down flipping her onto her back. He held up his right fist and squeezed it extending a thin blade of faux-Longinus metal.

"Sadly, this will be your final lesson in life." With as much force as he deemed necessary he slammed it into her chest. The contact with the metal caused her to scream in pain, but matters became worse when he flicked his wrist and broke it off inside her. "Goodbye, Storm."

Doom stood up as Exodus walk over to him. All signs of life in Storm ceased as her hair and skin turned back to normal.

"Are we done here?" Exodus asked.

"Yes," was his only reply. "Now get back to Tokyo-3. Start your investigation into the Human Instrumentality Committee. I want to know who the leaders of SEELE are and where I can find them."

"That won't be easy."

"Can you do it?" he snapped. "Or am I wasting my time with you?" He gestured towards a control device on her wrist, one that Exodus knew was linked to the device in his chest.

He looked at Doom fearfully for a moment before responding. "I can, but it will take time."

"Then get to work," he growled as he took to the air.

He frowned on this as he glanced over once last time upon the body of his fallen sister, and for brief moment, wondered if she really would have joined him without hesitation before.

* * *

Gendo returned to his office and was back in his normal clothing. He was tinkering with a new device he created that was mounted on his right wrist as Ritsuko Akagi entered.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes Doctor," he replied. "I need you to make several changes to The Magi. I want them to be capable of hacking any computer on the planet."

Ritsuko looked at him. "Are you kidding? That's a direct violation of treaty! If the UN finds out about this, they will tear this place apart and shut us down."

"I'm not interested in what the UN has to say about anything," he said without taking his attention off of his latest contraption. "Just do it."

"I can't," she replied fearfully.

Gendo stood up looking very annoyed. "I will not stand for "can't" Doctor, I want to hear "will"."

Ritsuko backed away from him. "Fuyutsuki was right… you have changed for the worse. I can't do this anymore." Before she realized what happened, she was slammed down onto the desk face up.

Before she could recover he ripped open the front of her lab coat and blouse. She tried to struggle but found he was far stronger than her. Holding his right arm up with the device pointed at her, she saw a tendril of linked steel fire into her chest followed by a sharp pain. In seconds her mind blanked out.

Gendo released her and the device returned to stand by, trailing a few drops of a vicious looking red liquid as the tendril of steel retracted. She looked around for a moment before looking at him.

"Now then," Gendo said. "You will do what I ask will you not?"

"Yes Commander," she said immediately. "I will do as you ask."

* * *

Half an hour later, Mayumi's eyes opened slightly as the rain poured down around her. She felt herself being lifted into the air but was unable to stay conscious enough to see who had her….

She didn't know if she was alive or dead... but hoped for the latter.

* * *

**End of Chapter VIII**

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* * *

  
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**A/N:** I still own nothing.


	9. Dark Storm, Part II

A/N: Now things really get crazy…. This is Part 2 of the "Dark Storm Saga". Yes it is an official subplot now.

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**IX: Dark Storm, Part II**

* * *

Upon returning to NERV, Gendo began work on his many fold project. The power he had been given from the death of Adam had pushed the megalomaniac beyond reason. Deep in the bowels of NERV he focused on a new plan for his precious Rei clones.

Already the manufacturing equipment he desired was down here, producing faux-Longinus Steel (f-LS) for his uses, and many more Plug Suits were being constructed. These new models were the same design as the one Rei used, but included several modification allowing them to attach light f-LS plating, combat devices and high mobility options. The cloning plant used to create the clones were now producing ever more, with modified genetics making them stronger, faster, more agile and more cunning. At the same time, they were created to be more docile and easier for him to control. They would be emotionless, without pity and absolutely relentless. They would take any order regardless of how suicidal, and follow his instructions until the mission was accomplished or they were rendered unable to function.

Indeed… in the secret chambers within the depths of Terminal Dogma… Gendo Ikari… or rather Doctor Gendo Von Doom was creating an army. Already he had the parts needed to do so… and in time, he would have what he needed to mass produce the EVAs as well, though his plans didn't end there. Soon the Magi would begin hacking every known armed forces computer system monitoring their troop movements, and gauging their strengths. He would siphon billions from SEELE to finance this ever growing military force and once the Angel War was over, he would unleash a new terror onto mankind.

And he would crush all that threatened to stop him.

Once everything was set and the system was running on automatic, he left the bowels of the facility. The clones did not need to be fed so long as they remained in the ever growing 'Rei-quarium' he created, being fed and sustained by LCL alone. When the time was right, they would fully awaken and begin arming up for the coming conflicts.

Would domination would be his… no matter the cost.

As he returned to his office, he found Fuyutsuki standing next to his desk.

"So its done then," he said to Gendo.

"Indeed," he replied to his old mentor. "Everything is proceeding according to schedule. By the time the Angel Wars are finished, I'll have over 200,000 units with another half a million well on their way."

"Why world domination Ikari?" he asked. "Would you not be satisfied with getting Yui back after the Angels have been defeated?"

"The world is led by cowards and bureaucrats. Before 2nd Impact, the world's technological progress doubled every 10 years. After that, it completely stagnated… well with the exception of the Evangelions. The weak leaders of the world are coveting what little resources they have left instead of trying to further progress by sharing what they have."

"You make it sound like what your doing is a noble act," Kozo replied.

"And why not? Divided as we are, we will never persevere."

"It's never been truly done before," Kozo reminded him. "All empires crumble once they have become too big."

"We'll see… won't we Sensei."

* * *

She didn't know how long she has been unconscious for… she didn't even realize she was still alive… but somehow, someway she had cheated death. As she awoke, her senses began to take hold once more. She felt the cold, crisp air in her lungs and the piercing wind and knew she was at a high altitude.

Her eyes opened only to be greeted with a sight she was not expecting. Standing 10' away from her was a man standing nearly 6' tall with piercing red eyes and black hair that reached the middle of his back. He was dress entirely in black including a black leather duster.

"Welcome back to the world of the living… Storm"

"Wh… Who are… you," she asked weakly, noting with some discomfort that the shard of faux-Longinus Steel was still embedded in her chest. She could feel it pressing against her S2 organ but miraculously, it only damaged the outer casing, missing the center by barely a few centimeters.

"A friend," he replied. "It would appear you got yourself into quite a situation, what with Doctor Doom and Exodus both running wild and you unable to defeat them both. To say nothing of your dreadful loss. My condolences."

Mayumi turned on her side coughing and letting tears slip at the same time. "I… I couldn't save her." She was utterly powerless when it happened… and although she was able to defeat Exodus, she was blindsided by this new menace. Her heart wept for the loss of one of the few things keeping her sane and human.

"Now now, the last thing Nariko would have wanted to see was her daughter despair like this."

"What do you know of it!" she snapped then quickly regretted it as the strain pulled her chest muscles and aggravated the wound further. More tears fell, now an echo of both physical pain and mental anguish.

"I know the loss of a parent can be devastating," he continued without regard for her outburst. "I can only imagine that watching it happen in front of you could only be worse than that."

"How do you know so much," she questioned weakly.

"I've been watching you for sometime. You need more power if your going to avenge your loss and put all this right again." His smile shifted to being much more sinister. It was enough to give her chills. "I can grant you that power… for a price."

"What do you want," she asked.

"I want you Mayumi, your services and your loyalty. Give me that and you will have everything you desire… power… revenge… even that little boy you love so much. And… as an extra added bonus, I'll even arrest the progress of the blue cells in your body that have been taking your coveted humanity from you. Of course, I could simply leave you to die here but where is the fun in that?"

Mayumi considered her choices, or more importantly her lack of options. In her weakened state she could not resist this offer, even if she tried… she would only kill herself and leave the fate of the world in the hands of two madmen. Then there was Spirit… she alone would not be able to stop what was to come. She was powerful but even she would be no match for Doctor Doom or whatever schemes he was planning.

In the end she didn't have a choice… she sensed power from this man, similar to hers but so very different. He had to be some kind of angelic creature or something more than human at the very least.

"I'll do it," she whispered. "You have my loyalty."

"There now that wasn't so hard now was it." And with a simple hand movement Mayumi felt the shard of metal rip itself out of her chest. She screamed as the hole suddenly began to draw in energy from everywhere at once. The man reached towards her taking the shard of metal in hand and making it fade away. Tendrils of black energy poured off of him and wrapped around her writhing frame, embracing her like some ghostly apparition.

Her brown hair turned void black under the sudden infusion of dark power, the details of her eyes faded away and white turned to black. Even her costume changed, becoming even more revealing with the coppery metal turned to a dark bronze hue. The plates of metal grew spines and short curved spikes making her look absolutely devilish. Her skin tone darkened further as her eyes began to glow, the blackened sclera turning blood red as the metamorphosis drew to a close.

When it was over Storm felt as if her entire body was charged with energy. She stood up as dark lightning jumped around her forming a darkened aura of unbridled power. With this new strength, she could attain her revenge, and finally stop Doctor Doom and his insidious plots.

"I do believe I've outdone myself this time," the man said. "Now, go play. Cause all the havoc you desire. I will summon you when the time is right."

"As you wish," she hissed and took off skyward, her cloak flaring out to catch the wind.

The man watched her go as a dark figure approached from the shadows. It appeared to be a gargoyle that had come to life. "I sssee your plan hasss been inacted, My Lord," the loathsome creature said.

"Everything is now going according to plan," he replied. "Soon she will be completely under my control, and with her I shall have the pawn I need to retrieve the power I covet. She will be instrumental in finally dethroning my father." As she disappeared in the distance, he turned back towards his demonic servant. "Have several of my best watch over her. If she strays I want to know about it. Her heart must be full of darkness, hatred and evil before I can truly possess her. An Angel under my control is a powerful weapon… one I will need in the trials to come."

"Yes, Lord Blackheart. It will be done."

* * *

"May! We're home!" Shinji yelled as he entered the Katsuragi Apartment. The battle on Mt Asama drained him despite the fact that he did little. If course Spirit had been on hand to help with the monster but he didn't see Mayumi there… and he was worried. Was she still suffering from her defeat at the hands of Exodus or was she simply resting? He went straight to her room and saw the door was opened. A suitcase was opened on the bed but nothing was in it… in addition her window was opened.

"_Something happened…"_

"She's not here huh?" Misato asked behind him.

He shook his head in response. They both heard a squawking sound and turned to see Pen Pen standing in the hallway looking as concerned as a penguin could.

"Something's not right," he whispered. Misato heard him and was about to ask what he meant when the phone rang. She quickly made her way to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello…. Yes this is she… What?!... Oh my God… … …"

"What is it Misato," Shinji asked as he walked into the room. Misato signaled to be quiet as her eyes appeared to be watery. _"Oh god… what's happened…"_

"… I understand." Misato put the phone down and looked at Shinji with tears trailing from her eyes. "Shinji-kun… I have… terrible news."

"What is it Misato-san?" he asked fearfully.

"The police in Tokyo-2… they found Nariko Yamagishi's body. Apparently she threw herself off of Sato-Ubi tower."

"Oh no…" he said as tears began to fall from his eyes. Misato never met her… but Shinji did. She was such a nice woman too, always had a smile despite how tough her life had been since her divorce. Could it be that inside she never really healed? Could it be that in her pain, she decided that life wasn't worth living anymore?

No… not possible… Nariko was a survivor. This had to be something else entirely… it had to be foul play!

"No! I don't believe it!" he shouted.

"Shinji-kun… please this is hard enough to accept. Poor Mayumi must be somewhere in Tokyo-3 crying her eyes out."

"_More likely she was in Tokyo-2 fighting whoever was responsible. Who would have done this to her… could Exodus be evil enough to go that far. He did seem the type…"_

"I'll find her Misato-san. I swear I will."

Shinji took off at a run grabbing his shoes.

"Wait! Shinji-kun! You don't even know where to start looking!"

"I have a few places in mind," he lied. "I'll find her Misato. If you can, get section 2 to look for her as well. She's been through so much! I don't want to wake up tomorrow to find out the girl I love jumped off a bridge."

Normally this would be the perfect opportunity to tease Shinji about his relationship but it was the worst possible time. Misato nodded instead saying, "I'll see what I can do. You are a good man Shinji-kun. Please find her... I kind of feel like I'm responsible for her now."

"I will Misato," he promised.

* * *

"What precisely do you mean… she's gone," Gendo demanded.

"I went back to check after we returned… her body was gone, no sign of anything," Kaji replied. "She somehow survived."

"Impossible," Gendo retorted. "I ran her though her S2 Organ with a faux-Longinus Blade, she should be dead, or at the very least, completely incapacitated."

"Never-the-less, she survived somehow."

"Find her and finish her off," he ordered. "She can't regenerate core damage easily, none of us can."

"I won't fail again," Kaji replied as his outfit shifted back to his Exodus costume. He then teleported out of the room.

A moment later Doctor Akagi entered. "The modifications you requested for the MAGI have been implemented Commander Ikari."

"Good," he replied. "Now have them hack into the Global GPS system used by the US Military. Make sure the MAGI are undetected."

"As you wish," she said obediently and left the room.

Gendo smiled slightly at her as she left. "The nanites are working perfectly. She's completely obedient and passive. I could do whatever I wanted to her and she would still do anything I wanted her to do without question. That… is true power."

* * *

Storm landed one of the buildings in Tokyo-2. Looking down, she could see the police were still investigating the area where they found the dead body of Nariko. More than likely, they'd call it a suicide. _"Stupid Lilum,"_ she thought. _"They will never fully understand anything, not even worth the effort to try to teach them… wait, what was I just thinking?"_

She shook her head out, realizing the alien thoughts in her mind were her own on at least some level. "What's happening to me? Did I just call humans Lilum like the Angels do? I don't really hate them do I?" The sudden feeling of the approach of an Angel shook her out of her thoughts. Exodus was apparently coming to her… _"How convenient..."_

Taking back to the air she stayed between the buildings, evoking awe and fear from the people below her. She waited until Exodus flew in to investigate, not bothering to hide her presence.

"Where are you Storm?" he yelled. "I know you're here. Let me end your pain…"

"My pain?" she yelled back letting echo bounce off the buildings. "Worry about your own. It if wasn't for Doctor Doom, I would have finished you last time. This time, its just you and me."

"You sound confident for someone who'd been recently stabbed in the heart," he shot back. "Why don't we stop all this hide and seek and get to it already! I don't have all day."

"As you wish," he heard behind him and quickly turned only to face a storm of black lightning. The energy surged though him causing him to spasm uncontrollably for a moment before Storm began to lay into him with attack after attack, punching and kicking him relentlessly. Her new armored fists and feet tearing skin and flesh with every hit.

Exodus managed to keep enough concentration to tear a girder out of a building telekinetically like he did the last time and sent it at her at impossible speeds. Just before it hit, she thrust her left hand out and with a resounding clang the beam hit and stopped dead, bending slightly from the force of the impact with her hand.

"I-Impossible!" Exodus cried in fear.

"Fool me once," Storm hissed as she waggled her pointer finger on her right hand at him. "Shame on you. Fool me twice…" Using magnetic forces, she reshaped the girder into a battering ram and slammed it into Exodus sending him though the building and out the other side. While Exodus or even Doctor Doom would have cared nothing for people getting hurt in the buildings, Storm normally kept such attacks restricted to disserted buildings. This time, she didn't care at all as he went flying though and slammed into the building on the other side.

She flew though the hole in time to see Exodus get his bearings and watched his eyes flash. The top 5 stories of the building suddenly collapsed around her.

Exodus watched the building collapse only to see Storm floating in the middle of her EM-AT Field as the debris caused the remainder of the building to collapse.

"Really, Exodus," she said, sounding quite bored. "You really must change up your routine." With that she unleashed two more strokes of electrical fury into him causing him to twitch and writhe. The metal girders nearby began to curl and twist grabbing hold of him and making it feel like he was grabbing onto car batteries.

Exodus managed to rip himself out of the bindings and launched himself forward. He began a physical assault landing several direct blows upon Storm, but each one seemed to only piss her off more. Finally she blocked one and twisted his arm around, flying forward and slamming him into another building. Then she threw him into a different one. Sending 2 girders sharpened into massive stakes in after him. Several windows blew out but Exodus managed to escape getting impaled. He flew out as the dust drifted off of him, simultaneously unleashing a massive beam of energy from his hands.

It struck her AT Field, and did nothing… _"What the hell! I can't neutralize her AT Field! What the hell is she?!"_ He fired 2 more at the same time and both beams simply pattered against them like a gentle rain off of an umbrella. She responded by throwing her arms out to her sides, conjuring 4 balls of compact lightning. She the thrust her hands forward sending them at him.

Exodus barely managed to teleport away. Before the orbs slammed into the building and exploded taking the entire structure down. Storm carefully flew though the debris, looking for where he could have went off to then sensed exactly where he would reappear… Above, ahead and to her right. She was a little surprised he would do something so foolish, then again, she would have been disappointed if he appeared behind her again. Taking aim at the area, she fired off another stroke of electrical power which struck him as he appeared.

Exodus managed to get his AT Field up after the initial hit to protect himself from the remainder but he was wearing down fast. Storm seemed indefatigable, and would simply outlast him easily enough.

"You've gotten stronger," he said after the lightning bolt faded.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance," she replied. "Now I will take great pleasure in tearing you apart."

"I will beat you," he snapped.

"You only wish," she countered as she gently ascended higher into the air. "I have become more powerful than you can ever imagine… observe." Her eyes began to glow red and skies darkened beyond the normal level of storm activity when she was in the area. Looking skyward her eyes glowed fiercely as she raised her left hand to the heavens. Strokes of blue lightning seemed to pour from the clouds into it.

Exodus stood at the ready as she held her right hand in front of her. "This is a little number I call 'Thor's Hammer'. Let's see if you can dodge it," she challenged as she unleashed a torrent of 9 separate lightning bolts at him at once. They whipped back and forth rendering it impossible to predict where they were going. He brought his AT Field up to full power and braced himself.

The pain was intense, unlike anything she did to him previously. When the first bolt struck him, all 8 of the other bolts instantly locked onto him and struck true, punching though his AT Field like a bouncer's fist though a belligerent drunk. Exodus's screaming was unlike anything she had heard from him previously and it brought a sinister smile to her face.

"Storm!" she heard a female voice yelling in the back of her mind. She turned in that direction and saw Spirit flying towards her, just now entering the city. Storm stopped firing lighting bolts long enough to smirk at Exodus who was falling from the sky. She dived after him, grabbing him in one armored hand and drove him into another building.

"Now there are two of us. Well I'd have to say you're pretty much done at this point. But I can't let her have any fun with you. My ire with you won't allow it. However I must cut this short and finish you now. When you see Satan… tell him I said hi." With that, she drew both of her hands back then thrust them forward, creating a cone of electrical energy that would make Emperor Palpatine draw back in fear. The power was three times the first dose she gave him when this rather pathetically one-sided battle started causing him to scream in agony before she stopped, and let his body fall 25 stories to the street below.

"What… what's going on?" Spirit asked. "What have you done to yourself?"

"I made a deal," she replied, saying nothing more as she floated down to street level.

Kaji laid there moaning in pain, no longer able to keep up his Exodus form.

"This is Exodus?" Spirit said in surprise. "That… that looks like Asuka's Guardian!"

Storm shrugged as she stepped over him, the metal gauntlet on her right hand began to reshape into a nasty claw, her EM-AT Field wrapping around it.

"What are you doing?" Spirit asked.

"Finishing this," she said and she thrust down… only to find her hand stopped by Spirit. Storm glared at her. "Don't stop me Spirit, he has to die."

"He's basically human Storm, like us. What you're proposing is murder."

"He murdered my mom!" she snapped. "He disserves nothing short of death!"

"That's for the Tokyo courts to decide, not us… We can't take the law into our own hands Storm. This is not the way!"

"Back off Spirit," she snapped… and Spirit looked genuinely hurt by this. "I don't need your self-righteous attitude right now. I need closure! I need justice!"

"You're not talking about justice Storm! You're talking about revenge! Do this and you're no better than him!"

"I don't care anymore!"

"Well I do!" Spirit pushed her away standing between the wounded Kaji and her. "I won't let you destroy yourself over this. I'm sorry you mother died, and I know it can't be easy seeing as how this is the second time in your life you lost a maternal figure… but you can't do this. I won't let you do it."

"Get out of my way Spirit," Storm growled.

"No," Spirit replied, standing firm.

"I said MOVE!" the last word punctuated by a sudden stroke of electrical power aimed right at Spirit. She responded quickly, bringing her wings before her which seemed to turn into metal instantly, the long feathers at the tips slammed into the ground causing the dark thunder to follow the metal shell into the earth. The asphalt melted around the tips but spared Spirit from the direct effects of her Dark Thunder attack. The metal seemed to shatter after the attack was done as the wings threw themselves back.

"Neat trick," Storm growled.

"I don't know what's happened to you… but the Mayumi I know would do this."

"Mayumi is dead… Doctor Doom saw to that."

"I don't know who that is, but we can get though this thing together… it's not too late Storm!"

"If you are going to continue to stand against me Spirit… I will kill you."

Spirit's eyes widened at those words. She couldn't believe that Storm was turning on her like this. But now that the reality stands before her, she can only except the awful truth…. A darkness existed on the poor girl's soul. Something got to her after she was attacked. _"If only I wasn't so preoccupied on Mt Asama…"_ she thought to herself… but she knew deep down it wouldn't have made a difference. Exodus was an incredibly powerful foe the first time they fought him. She's already had to fight him a second time and now her mother died.

She had said she has made a deal. While Hikari herself did not believe in the devil, ever since she became Spirit, she knew that there was far more to life then school, work and being a class representative. There were Angels… could there Demons as well? What other truths could exist that didn't seem to make sense to the common man.

All this paled in comparison to what she had before her. Mayumi, apparently powered now by Demonic Forces far beyond her control was losing her soul. This she now had no doubt about anymore. Someone got to her, and turned her into a monster. But there was something of her there still… she could sense it just below the surface, trying desperately to escape… to make things right again. She couldn't abandon her, not now… not when she needed her the most… she would never do that…

"I have never given up on a friend in my life… and I'm not about to start now…" Taking a deep breath, she gathered all the resolve her body could muster and said, "Mayumi… I'm going to stop you."

* * *

**End of Chapter IX**

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**The Dark Storm Saga continues next chapter**

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All: Before you start grabbing pitchforks, I should probably let you know that I don't plan to use Blackheart extensively. He probably will only show up in this saga for the time being. I do have plans to use him later in the story, but heaven only knows when that is going to be. Blackheart is the type of villain that doesn't really involve himself directly, using minions and such anyway so I didn't see the harm in it. If you were wondering if I had planned to turn Mayumi dark for part of her story... the idea occured to me when I was writing chapter 7.

The 17th Immortal: Well I guess we can tell who has actually been looking at my profile and who hasn't. I originally wasn't going to put him in this story, nor the 3rd supervillain in this one but meh, I like to keep upping the ante.

Belthasar: Perhaps, but where would the story be if the main character died?

Neferius: When it comes to doling out misery to my own characters, you won't find me lacking. I've explored physical pain, now we look into the more devastating form of character torture... corruption. Personally corruption is my personal favorite.

Zozo50: I don't think its something to pursue. Although I don't mind reading lemons for EVA despite the fact that part of me knows it basically legalized CP, I don't condone it. However it is generally excepted in Anime and you kind of have to go with the average audience if you ever expect to get readers. That being said, if you noticed I did leave myself an out. I have no intention of putting any lemon or lime content in this story at all. This is a Comic book story, not adult manga.

Commander Galos: I hope you caught the nod in your direction early in this chapter.

Till next time, rock on!

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"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." -Harvey Dent from Batman: The Dark Knight


	10. Dark Storm, Part III

**A/N:** I still own nothing.

**A/N:** This chapter as of 2/28/2009 has been revised. Please read this chapter again before progressing to Chapter 11 otherwise it may not make sense. Hopefully I'll have Chapter 11 up at some point in the near future.

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**X: Dark Storm, Part III**

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* * *

**Although the sun had set an hour ago, no one in Tokyo-2 would have been able to guess as much. The dark storm that raged over the city blocked out all light. Only the reflection of the city lights on the clouds provided any illumination. The ominous feeling rolling though the streets instilled a sense of dread upon the residents. Between this and reports of several explosions in the downtown area, it came as no surprise when the JSSDF showed up and ordered the city to evacuate. Even less surprising was the lack of protest when the citizens began to evacuate.

Meanwhile in the darkened skies over the city, a maelstrom was beginning to rage, caused by the power of one Superwoman turned Supervillain, and the battle with a pure soul trying to end the insanity. The darkness and anger of the rolling storm only serving to exemplify the desperation of one of the combatants... and it was not of the combatant that caused the storm in the first place.

Flying skillfully though the raging currents, Spirit dodged a series of 3 lightning bolts directed at her. The dark energy missed her by mere inches and made the hair on her head stand slightly from the static electricity that crawled over her like a legion of ants. Her gaze quickly shifted left in time to see Storm careening for her in a barely controlled shallow dive. Her fist flew forward and Spirit's met her half way unleashing a thunderclap upon impact. The sheer volume of kinetic energy unleashed by the collision rippled the wind around them creating a brief area of calm before the wind and rain reasserted themselves. For a moment both combated pressed inward with their eyes locked in a short-lived but menacing contest of wills.

Storm then threw herself into a series of attacks in a blur of motion, but each one was blocked successively by Spirit. Nine seconds later, she connected with a right cross to her head. Spirit recovered instantly and took advantage of the opening in her defense to delver a sharp punch to her solar plexus. Although Storm managed to tighten her stomach muscles before impact the attack still hurt as the impact reverberated though her. She threw another punch only to have her hand grabbed by Spirit as she used the force of the attack against Storm. In an act akin to a mid air judo throw, she sent Storm into the side of an abandoned skyscraper causing brick and mortar to rain upon the streets below.

Storm's rage only intensified when she hit the building. Her electrical aura exploded about her throwing the top 3 stories of the building in 20 directions at once causing a spray of deadly projectiles. Raising her left hand to the sky, she charged up Thor's Hammer. Thrusting her right hand towards Spirit, a series of 9 bolts of dark electrical power issued forth in their erratic pattern. Spirit however was much faster than Exodus and was able to better avoid the lethal attack. With seemingly expert precision she dodged each bolt in turn, almost appearing to teleport away to escape the last three.

Before Storm could formulate her next strategy, she was blindsided by a blast of intense power that sent a cross-shaped explosion into the sky. Easily weathering the attack she locked in on Spirit's location and tried to catch her in a conjured tornado. Spirit however was able to dodge it before it came down on her. Cursing her poor aim, Storm took off in her direction, letting her control of the tornado lapse and allowing it run amok.

Spirit turned towards her attacker and blocked a straight right-handed punch heading straight for her chest with her left forearm. The shock of the hit wasn't even felt by Spirit but the shockwave initiated from the blow damaged the roof of the building 10' below her. Storm's left hand was reaching back charging a dreadful bolt of electrical energy. Spirit countered by charging up her angelic power in her free right hand thrusting forward with it at the exact same time. Dark energy met light in an explosion that separated them with its extreme force. Both corrected their paths and landed on separate buildings in crouched postures.

"You're wasting my time!" Storm shouted at her as a slight growl seemd to underlie her voice. "I have places to go and people to kill!"

"Stop this Storm… please! I don't want to fight you, but you're leaving me little choice in the matter!"

"I will have justice! I don't care what I have to do to get it! I was going to simply kill him but now I have a greater inclination to make him suffer greatly before the end!"

"Listen to yourself!" she shouted back. "You're worse than he is! Stop this while you still can!" Spirit worried as she saw the small mote of light within Storm rapidly fading away. If all that remains of her goodness vanished, Spirit wouldn't have a choice anymore… Storm would have to die.

"Shut up!" Storm yelled as she threw her arms back and unleashed a particle beam from her chest. Spirit threw her wings before her and double layered her AT Field ahead of her blocking the intense particle beam but barely holding against it. Storm's rage was making her powerful but her attacks were becoming more and mroe reckless. Spirit knew she could somehow use that to her advantage, perhaps force Storm into a costly mistake she could capitalize on. As it was though, the collateral damage to the city would bankrupt most of the Japanese insurance companies by now. She had to hope that the city was at least mostly evacuated since the battle would only get more heated from here.

Benethe the cover of her wing, Spirit began to charge up a massive amount of energy. When the beam stopped, Spirit responded with a Halo Wave that decimated the entire top half of the building Storm was on. She was fast enough to avoid it however and took to sky with Spirit in hot pursuit. Storm turned in mid air flying upwards and backwards and unleashed a torrent of smaller electrical blasts. Spirit twirled and weaved expertly to avoid the shots and returned fire with bolts of angelic power. Storm stopped firing and focused on dodging the assault.

* * *

Kaji leaned against a building in a nearby alley panting hard. He was shocked that he was still alive after his battle with Storm. _"What the hell happened to her?! How did she get so powerful?"_ His internal injuries were still regenerating and his face showed the marks of his thrashing but overall Kaji was in decent health and able move about. It was now a matter of slipping out of the city without attracting the attention of the woman that wanted his head. With his energy's restricted in human form, he knew Storm would not be able to sense his presence now, so it was just a matter of avoiding visual detection at this point.

His attention was driven skyward as a series of rapid cracks echoed though the air. He looked up in time to see Spirit and Storm trying desperately to beat each other into submission. The raging battle putting what happened between Storm and himself to shame.

"So that's why I'm still alive…" Kaji figured Spirit must have stopped Storm from killing him… probably out of some misplaced ideals of right and wrong. "I can always count on the fine sensibilities of so-called heroes." A skittering sound nearby drew his attention and slipped into the shadows. Looking towards the top of the building he saw something that looked like a gargoyle… and the miserable creature was talking to itself.

"Yes yes! Happy day! Happy day! Into the master's clutches you will fall! Master will be pleased yes… yes! Kick her! Stomp her! Kill the Spirit witch! Hell awaits you!"

Exodus searched though is knowledge granted to him by Adam… something there had to explain this. After a few seconds the answer occurred to him. _"Blackheart… it must be. What is the son of Mephesto up to now? This is not his time, it is our time!" _He glared up at the monstrosity with hate in his eyes. Angels and Daemons have had it out since before man walked the Earth. Whether the individual believes that God created the Earth or aliens in the form of some First Race seeded the planet with the White or Black Moon or whatever… the truth remained; Angels and Daemons did not belong in the same arena.

"_If I kill these creatures… I know there must be more than one… I'm probably helping Storm and Spirit in the long run… but I can't allow hell to interfere in the affairs of mortals and Angels. Besides, I'd hedge a bet that Storm made a deal with Blackheart to become strong enough to defeat me. I bust the deal, she loses her advantage… This could only work to my benefit."_

With the battle in the sky demanding the total attention of both participants, neither noticed when Exodus powered back up. The gargoyle did however notice but it was far too late for it as it was lanced though with the ultimate piercing stare. As the creature fell, its body disintegrated into ash and many more suddenly came out of the wood work. Exodus felt the rush of battle overtake him again and decided to vent his frustrations at his recent failure upon the pathetic Daemon trash around him.

Blasts of Angelic power flew from his hands as he killed minion after minion. One managed to land on his back but was telekinetically thrown into a building at Mach 2 before he could capitalize on its small victory. The impact did not damage to the building but splattered the Daemon on impact, removing yet another threat. Three more met their end from his energy blasts before this one faded completely.

* * *

In the skies, the battle between two former friends raged on. Spirit for her part knew she was severely outclassed by Storm… only her sheer determination to not let it end this way kept her going as long as she had. Both stopped in mid air, exhausted from their exertion.

"Why Storm," Spirit called out to her. "Why can't you let your hatred go? Can't you see what it's doing to you?"

"You make it sound like a bad thing," Storm shot back. "With this power I could end the Angel Wars single-handed! But why stop there? I can rip the heart out of evil itself. Doom would stand no chance against me now! And when I'm finished with him… I'm going to find the true puppet strings behind the Instrumentality Committee and destroy them too! I shall become the hand of righteousness in this world! No more will the people have to suffer like I did when momma died… I will purge this world!"

"But where will it end?! Who are you to judge the guilty and the innocent?"

"Who are you to judge me?!" With those words a chain of 5 lightning bolts lanced at Spirit from the sky. She dodged all but the last two, the first stunning her and the second tore though her causing her to scream in agony. As she began to fall from the sky. Storm dove after her with the force of a freight train and slammed into her knocking her into a building. She bounced off of it and went though the window of the neighboring building ending up in a large office. As she picked herself off the floor, trying to shake off the effects of the stunning bolt, she saw Storm kick off the building across the street that she bounced off of and slammed into her again.

Together they went though the wall ending up in a sea of cubicles. Spirit kicked off and landed on her feet, getting pretty tired of being used as a battering ram, only to have to dodge a CRT Monitor that flew out of a nearby cubicle. Storm raised her hands and magnetically caused other such objects including other monitors, computer towers and even metal office chairs to be hurled at her she dodged what she could, and blocked the others with her wings which gained a metallic sheen again. The magnetic energy surrounding the objects was rendering her AT Field virtually useless against them.

"You really must tell me how you do that," Storm growled. Voicing her displeasure, she fired off a bolt of dark lightning at her in response. Spirit slammed her wing tips into the floor again, this time hitting a network cable in the process. The lightning hit her wings, traveled though the cable and blew out the remaining monitors in the room simultaneously. Storm jumped at the sudden explosions and Spirit took her opportunity. She charged up an immense amount of power and struck her dead on with a Halo Wave…

… only to watch in dismay as she shrugged if off. Behind Storm, most of the building disappeared from the explosion but she was still there, suspended in midair by the wind that now lashed though the building. She suddenly flew forward grabbing Spirit by one of her wings and swung her around, throwing her out of the building and into the side of the next one. Following after her she grabbed her again when she bounced off and threw her straight down, 42 floors into the street, leaving a small crater on impact.

Spirit tried to pull herself up but then Storm landed on her feet first driving her body a little deeper into the ground. Several ribs snapped under the pressure of the hit causing her shriek in pain. Unable to take anymore punishment, she reverted to normal as Storm stepped off.

Storm laughed wickedly as she walked around her.

* * *

The last of the gargoyles were incinerated in holy fire and Exodus swiftly turned as he sensed a new demonic presence there. He turned to see a man in black.

"You must be Blackheart," Exodus sneered.

"In the flesh," he replied with a bow. "And what exactly do you think you're doing, Exodus. Did you think killing my minions would solve anything? They didn't even need to intervene on my behalf. Storm is falling to fast, you saw to that yourself."

"How long have I been playing into your hands," he asked rhetorically.

"For long enough, suffice to say. Now I will reap the rewards, just as soon as she finishes off Spirit."

Exodus glared at him. "What do you want with her anyway?"

"That is for me to know," he replied.

* * *

Storm bent down over the hole made by Hikari and reached in, grabbing her with her left hand and pulling her up. Her right hand formed into a nasty claw configuration and she wrapped her EM-AT Field around the serrated edges.

"Any last requests before I finish you off?" she growled out.

"Just… one…" Hikari managed to get out. Her left hand pointed towards Storm's right side. "Just… this… I… want you… to look at yourself… before you kill me."

Her gaze shifted in the direction she pointed, wary that this was some kind of trick and locked eyes with herself. On the other side of the street there was an old furniture store. The window was dark as no one operated it anymore but the effect made the glass more mirror-like than normal. She saw herself… her burning eyes… her barely there costume… the demonic plating over her forearms, legs and waist. But that wasn't all… she saw what she would become. Spectral daemon wings curled out from her back, skin like leather and blacker than the void itself. There was nothing human there at all… no part of Mayumi left…

She gasped at the sight… her mind unable to comprehend the changes… Perhaps on some level she realized she was falling into a dark trap but to see it with her own eyes was a different story. An almost primal aversion took hold of her as she started at the abomination in the mirror, realizing that in that image, her vaulted and coveted humanity had been stolen from her…

* * *

"No!" Blackheart yelled and suddenly tried to leave the alley as he realized his magic was about to be undone. Exodus telekinetically pulled him back and threw him across the alley. He impacted the building hard but recovered as he fell, landing in a three point stance... and growled.

"Get out of my way," he growled.

Exodus stood his ground. "I may be little or no match for you 'Oh Child of Mephesto', but I can last long enough for you to see your plans fall apart!"

"You're a fool Exodus," he replied, "and I'm going to tea**ch you some manners."** As he stood up, his voice became more of a growl and his figure began to change. He grew in size to just over 12' tall, with his skin turning black as his clothing tore away. His hands reconfigured into claws and a tail swung around from behind him. As the transformation completed, he shifted into crouching stance and his eyes turned completely black. When it was finished, his left eye glowed with a malevolent red light. Blackheart held up his left hand before him as it glowed with greenish flames. **"You're going to regret this for the remainder of your short and pitful existence."**

Exodus held out a hand and waved him on. "Bring it."

Blackheart lept foward with his left claw back ready to strike down. Exodus waited until the last possible second to leap into the air a few stories above Blackheart as he came down with the intent to crush him. He then turned and unleashed a powerful angelic blast from his right hand at Blackheart. The shot struck him dead in the back but the moment it did, Blackheart seemed to turn into a puddle of liquid shadow. Three black tendrils shot up and grabbed Exodus by the leg and swung him around like a rag doll, throwing him into the building at the end of the alleyway. Exodus made quite an impression on the building as he went though the wall, but quickly recovered as he watched the puddle of blackness begin to 'jump' towards him Exodus fired a set of beams into the puddle but this did little damage if any. The top half of Blackheart rose from the puddle and several blackened spikes shot forth with incredible speed. Though Exodus managed to dodge them Blackheart reached in after the attack and managed to grab Exodus around the waist applying crushing force to his body. Exodus struggled with the grip trying to get free as Blackheart rose completely out of the liquid shadow.

**"Pathetic," **Blackheart commented.

"I'm... not... done... yet!" With that assertion he fired his eye rays into Blackheart's face forcing him to go liquid again to avoid the damage. Exodus fell though the shadow and flew around him getting some distance. Sets of black spines fired off of Blackheart's body to try to impale him, but Exodus was able to dodge them all. At the far end of the alleyway, he turned and unleashed angelic hell upon Blackheart with a set of powerful energy rays fired from his fingertips. Unfortunately, Blackheart simply shrugged them off and unleashed a blast of green flame which struck Exodus directly. He didn't move in time and took the brunt of the attack. Part of his costume burned away as the napalm-like flames clung to him and burned deep into his flesh. He hit the ground hard trying to douse the flames. By the time he manged to get them out, Blackheart was looming over him. Before he could get back to his feet a single black spine launched foward and struck him in the stomach pinning him to the ground. He screamed out in pain and tried to use his AT Field to push Blackheart off, but since the demon had a field of his own, it was being canceled out.

The spike originated from Blackheart's right palm. Leaning down he slammed his left hand into the ground next to Exodus and leaned in nice and close.

**"How long did you really think you would last?" **He taunted.

"Long... enough," Exodus got out.

* * *

"Wha… What is this?!" Storm cried. "This can't be real!" She dropped Hikari and stumbled back, horrified by her own reflection. "What am I?!"

"Mayumi!" a voice came from her left. She turned and saw the last person she wanted to see her like this… Shinji.

"Shinji…" she whispered. "No! Don't look at me!" She quickly turned away crouching down and hiding herself from him. Her body trembled as a million horrible thoughts about how he would react assailed her mind.

"Did you… ever think about… him?" Hikari asked as her regenerative abilities began to kick in, healing the internal damage caused by Storm's attacks. "Did you ever…even once think of him as you threw away your humanity." She sat up looking balefully at the fallen hero. "Did you really... consider the cost?"

"May-chan, what has happened to you?" Shinji asked her, his voice laced with consern and fear.

Tears began to fall from her eyes, slowly at first but quickly they picked up speed. "I… oh God…" she whispered as she collapsed to her knees. Storm could almost feel the weight of the wings she saw in the reflection as if they had actually existed. "What have I done…?" she whispered. "What have I become? Is... is this the price I must pay?"

Hikari picked herself up. "I have wings," she whispered, allowing the full power and beauty of Spirit to shine once more. "Mayumi… it's not too late for you."

"Shinji," she cried turning back towards him… he face riddled with sadness. "Shinji-kun… help me… please. I… I feel so lost…"

Shinji knelt in front of her tentatively placing his arms around her shoulders, as she began to completely power down. But certain aspects of her demonic taint wouldn't go away. Her forearms now held the spines that her outfit did, her eyes were still red and her skin was still dark.

"May-chan… listen to me," Shinji whispered. "I don't understand what has happened to you but I will help you though this okay?"

"Don't leave me!" she cried out.

"I won't ever leave you May-chan... I love you." He pulled her in, feeling her body shiver at the contact as she tried to bury herself into him.

Spirit walked around her looking into her. The spark of her humanity was fighting the darkness within now, its light slowly beating back the shadow. But it needed help… the taint within her had to be removed. She knelt down behind Storm. "Shinji, give her to me a moment."

Shinji let go gently as Spirit took her into her left arm. Before Mayumi could react to the sudden loss of her soul-mate, she suddenly shrieked in horror as she realized Spirit was pushing her right hand into her body. It felt strange to feel another person's appendage inside her like this, bypassing her AT Field to touch the inner reaches of her material form. She gasped aloud trying to stave off the nausea she was beginning to feel.

"Spirit! What are you doing?!" Shinji demanded, his voice fantic.

"Removing the taint left by whatever did this to her," she explained. "I'm sorry but I need you to be quiet now Shinji, this takes an awful lot of concentration."

"Oh, Sorry," he replied as he looked upon her with worry in his eyes.

Mayumi tilted her head back trying to remain calm as her insides were being manipulated by Spirit. She could feel something cold being drawn from her but she could place the feeling. The nausea felt as if it were beginning to overtake her as she fought oncoming dizziness.

"Got it," Spirit finally whispered and carefully started to pull it out. To Mayumi, it felt like she was pulling a dagger out of her stomach. With a final cry of pain, Mayumi body went into spasums and Spirit pulled her clutched hand out of her. Shinji looked on in disgust as the blob of inky blackness in Spirit's hand writhed of its own volition. With a sound of contempt, Spirit incinerated it with a blast of Angelic energy, leaving a black smoke to disapate into the winds.

Mayumi meanwhile had collapsed into Spirit, completely drained of any energy she may have had left. Spirit gently handed her back to Shinji who held her close, allowing his body heat to comfort and warm her.

"There," he said as he saw the physical evidence of her corruption begin to reverse itself. "See! Your going to be okay now May-chan don't worry about anything."

"Shinji-kun," she said weakly as the last vestiges of her demonic form faded into nothing and her energy bottomed out. She couldn't even hold her Storm form anymore. "I… I turned… into a monster.... I… lost sight of what really mattered… please... forgive me."

"No May-chan, there's nothing to forgive," he whispered to her. "Just rest now, please save your strength."

"You're wrong Shinji-kun… I failed… I betrayed myself… and I failed mama…" These final words left her as her consciousness abandoned her.

* * *

Before Blackheart could finish off Exodus, the destruction of the piece of himself he placed within Storm drew his attention. Exodus in the meantime, still impaled on a spike had been preparing himself for just this opening. Raising one hand up and pointing a finger at Blackheart's head he released a piercing beam of energy that struck Blackheart in the right eye. With a roar Blackheart reared back, black blood shooting out of the injury as he grasped his head in pain. The sudden removal of the spike from Exodus's stomach caused him to gasp aloud.

He manged to pick himself up, though the attacks on him weakened him immensely. Before Blackheart could recover, he fired an intense beam of raw power into the demon prince, the force of the blast knocking Blackheart into a building. As he pulled himself out, another legion of gargoyles burst forth from the shadows and surrounded him.

**"You win this round Exodus,"** Blackheart yelled as he continued to cradle the injury. **"But I will repay you for this insult."** Beneath him, a circle of devilish runes appeared creating a hole that he began to sink into. **"This is far from over, Nephilum!"** As his head sunk below the hole, the gargoyles began to swarm into it as well. After a moment, there was nothing at all.

"You know," Exodus said to no one as he hunched over in pain. "For the Prince of Darkness, his exit lines are pretty cliché…. Maybe that's a requirement for the job." Exodus turned in the direction where he sensed Storm last and felt nothing. "I know she's not dead... but her singature is too weak to sense. A pity..." He grunted again as the pain seemed to worsen. "Its just as well... I'm in no condition to fight either her or Spirit right now..." He stepped forward as his Exodus costume faded away, returning to the normal clothing of one Ryoji Kaji.

* * *

Several hours later, Shinji managed to get her home with Spirit's help. Misato had yet to return from her search, so as Spirit took Mayumi to her room, Shinji called Misato.

"Hello?"

"Misato-san, its me."

"Shinji-kun. Did you find her?"

"Yeah I found her, soaking wet in the rain but I found her."

"I'll be home shortly. Where is she now?"

"Asleep. I managed to convince her to get some rest."

He heard a sigh of relief on the other line. "How is she really," she asked.

"I really don't know… I'm worried about her but I won't be able to tell if she's really ok until she wakes up."

"You're going to stay with her tonight?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Shinji-kun… I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Misato-san… I'm just glad she's home now."

"But I have to ask… why did you call me on my secure phone?"

Shinji felt a little nervous, but he knew that this question was comming. "Because this line is not monitored… I need to ask you something."

"Shinji-kun… why all the cloak and dagger?" Misato sounded a bit worried now.

"I have to know something, its really important," he demanded.

"What is it?"

"Did you tell anyone else… and I do mean anyone that Mayumi was staying with us?"

"No… why?" she asked questioningly.

"Good, tell no one… trust me on this Misato… she's in danger."

"What?!" she exclaimed. "What's wrong? In danger from who?"

"I... I can't talk about that."

"Shinji… please tell me. Maybe I can help."

"I'm not sure you would believe me if I told you but you have to trust me. Especially don't let Kaji know. I know you think he might be a good guy now but… I don't trust him."

He heard another sigh. "When I get home you are going to tell me everything."

It was not a request, it was an order. He could tell by the way she talked… he could only hope that Mayumi was willing to let Misato in on her secret.

"Yes Misato-san… but Mayumi needs to be there when we talk otherwise nothing is going to make any sense to you."

"I don't know what this is all about, but I trust you Shinji-kun… I hope this isn't some prank."

"No Misato… I can assure you the danger is very… very, real."

In the other room, Mayumi started to wake up, seeing Hikari in her school uniform above her sitting at her bedside.

"I fell terrible," she whispered to Hikari.

"Its not entirely your fault Mayumi," she consoled. "I know you didn't enter into a bargain with Blackheart if you could have helped it… there had to have been extenuating circumstances."

Mayumi tried to smile but failed miserably. Slowly… methodically, she relayed everything that happened, leading up to their battle over Tokyo-2. In many ways, she confirmed what Hikari already knew… her back was to the wall, grief stricken and broken, she almost killed Exodus when this new enemy… Doctor Doom… made her life a living hell. Then 'he' came… and the deal was struck.

"I should have let myself die… I knew I shouldn't have taken the deal but I… was weak… I wanted revenge so badly, wanted to live to see justice done that I almost allowed myself to be consumed by the worst evil."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Hikari replied. "Everyone falls sometime. I had my own run in with death at Mt Asama… and before that, over Tokyo-3 when Exodus almost killed me."

"I wish I was as strong as you… as experienced as you…"

Hikari chuckled trying not to laugh. "Mayumi… I've only been in this game maybe a few weeks longer than you have at the most! You look up to me like a big sister… I and appreciate that. Heck, I even embraced it for the most part. But when you get right down to it, I'm just as new to this entire business as you are." She ran a hand down the side of Mayumi's face. "I don't mind being your surrogate sister… even though I already have two I have to look out for. I'm just glad neither of us have to go it alone."

The girls heard the door open and saw Shinji entering.

"Misato is on her way home. Are you sure all the bugs in the apartment are gone?"

Hikari nodded. "Thankfully, Kensuke knew how to make a makeshift bug detector out of an old cell phone, and was nice enough to explain how to do it. I never thought that knowledge would come in handy. You know, they're probably going to just put more in the next time you leave the house."

"Maybe we should ask Kensuke if he knows how to make a White Noise Generator?"

"He might know," Hikari agreed. "Actually knowing him… he will know."

She looked at Mayumi and then to Shinji realizing she had become a 5th wheel. "Well, I should probably go."

"Hikari," Mayumi spoke up. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

"You don't have to thank me for that… it was the right thing to do." Without another word, she slipped out of the room.

Shinji walked over to the bed and laid down next to Mayumi who gently clung to him.

"Thank you Shinji-kun," she whispered. "If it wasn't for you, I might not be here anymore."

Shinji blushed slightly at that. "I just… don't want to see you suffer anymore. I wish I could do more but I'm not a superhero. I can't do the kind of things you do. But at least I can be moral support."

"You're more than that… you're the one who owns my heart."

He turned to her as she all but climbed over him. They shared a tender kiss, something both cherished as theirs alone and for the first time in a long time, Shinji felt no anxiety towards the act. He was at peace… completely comfortable with her. She sensed it too… deep within her soul, she could feel her human heart, while in reality a memory, flutter at his touch… his tenderness… and his compassion.

For the first time since her stepmother divorced her father, she felt herself begin to truly heal.

* * *

Less than an hour later Misato entered the apartment and announced her presence. Shinji was cooking a small meal and welcomed her home from the kitchen. As she walked in, she saw Mayumi sitting at the table patiently, looking exhausted and worn. Shinji looked tired himself but also somewhat happy at the same time. Misato could smell the Oolong noodle and Miso soup cooking and thought it was the best thing she smelled in a while.

"Hello Mayumi-chan," Misato said to Mayumi, turning her attention back to the beleaguered girl.

Mayumi smiled weakly. "Hello Misato-san. I'm glad you're here."

Shinji served both Mayumi and Misato a helping of the flavorful miso before serving himself and sitting down next to Mayumi.

"So tell me what this is all about," Misato said at length.

Mayumi sighed. "It's a long story and you may not completely believe it. I have a secret I've been trying to keep… the kind of secret that endangers people if they knew. The fact is… I am special."

"How do you mean?" Misato asked.

"Watch," was all she replied. She looked into Misato's eyes and began to concentrate. Outside, Mayumi's better mood was displayed by a shining sun and normal summertime conditions. As she concentrated, Misato watched as Mayumi's eyes changed; becoming featureless, losing their detail and becoming pure white orbs in her head. While this freaked her out a bit, the sudden rumble of thunder turned her attention away. She quickly got up and walked to the sliding doors and opened them. The wind had picked up and Misato saw the clouds quickly coming in from all directions at once.

"My… God…" Misato whispered as she watched the storm overtake Tokyo-3. She turned as she saw Mayumi and Shinji approaching behind her. Mayumi's hair was white now and her skin took on a darker color. The normally noticeable mole on her face was no where to be seen in this form. Misato immediately realized that this young girl, who suffered so much loss was the superwoman that Nerv had come to know as Storm.

Mayumi stopped concentrating letting the weather control itself as her features returned to normal. The changes she made to the weather would last a few hours longer. As the clouds began to unleash their moisture onto the ground below in the form of rain, she sighed. Still weakened from her battle against Spirit and the strain of being purged of corrption, she leaned against Shinji for support.

"How?" was all Misato could ask.

"That's a bit of a long story," she replied weakly. "Let me start at the beginning."

An hour later, all the pertinent details of her existence were laid upon the table for Misato's ears. Mayumi thought she took it quite well considering the awful truth behind her life. The conversation eventually found its way back to the kitchen table, where they could enjoy the rest of their dinner.

"So… does this make you an Angel?" Misato asked.

"No," Mayumi said confidently. "I will never be a pure Angel, and I'm glad of that. I am a hybrid called a Nephilum, and it appears in this world I'm not the only one. To an extent Spirit is as well, as are Exodus and the newest terror to plague this world… Doctor Doom."

"Who is he?"

Mayumi shrugged. "I wish I knew. I only recently found out who Exodus really is."

"Who?" she demanded.

Mayumi looked at the table. "Shinji was the one who saw him powered down," she lied, knowing that tieing Spirit to knowing Kaji might reveal her identiy. "He recognized him as Asuka's guardian."

"Kaji?!" Misato gasped in surprise. "How?! How is that possible?!"

"When I was still connected to the Angel Collective, it came to my attention that Adam was in embryonic form and was being taken somewhere by a human. I now believe that that human is Ryoji Kaji, and that that somewhere is NERV."

"But why?" Misato asked. "Why would NERV want it?"

"There are two possibilities," Mayumi explained. "Adam is the key to initiating 3rd Impact. Perhaps, NERV is using it as bait or they're experimenting on it to learn more about the true nature of the Angels." She sighed as she caught her breath. "More likely though, their plans are far more nefarious."

"Why would you think that?" Misato questioned. "NERV is trying to destroy the Angels."

"Simple… NERV has become an organization that is above the law. The UN has little or no say in what it does so long as they keep killing Angels. Then there is the existence of Doctor Doom who I believe is somehow connected to Adam as well. He and Exodus were working together when I was defeated in Tokyo-2." Her hand drifted to her chest, the memory of the old wound comined with the phantom pain of having the darkness extracted brought a pained look to her face. "Doctor Doom ran me though with some metal that bypassed my AT Field and damaged my core. That in and of itself speaks of being well connected and supplied, because there is only one weapon on Earth than can do that.... Lancea Longini. But that weapon is far too big. What I was hit with was a fabricated version that mimicked the properties exactly."

Shinji looked at Mayumi with concern in his eyes. "The more you talk about it, the more I see the logic in it," he said. "NERV has access to massive resources, I seen it myself every time I'm in the EVA cages."

"What's the Lancea Longini?" Misato asked, noting Shinji's observation.

"It is a dreadful weapon capable of killing an Angel in a single blow. Its physical and energy properties are such that it can bypass an AT Field with little to no resistance and penetrate an Angel's core like a hot knife though butter. Lilum… what Angel's call humans… would better know the weapon by its human name; The Lance of Longinus. I believe it is also called the Spear of Longinus or the Spear of Destiny.

"Christians believe it was the spear wielded by the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus during The Crucifixion. In reality that would not have been possible, since the lance is roughly twice the size of an EVA."

"And where is this weapon now?"

"The Angels don't know," Mayumi responded. "All they know is it was used to pierce Adam about 15 years ago in an attempt to usurp his power."

Misato couldn't believe her ears. "What?!" she whispered harshly. "That… that's when 2nd Impact happened!"

"This was the event that caused it," Mayumi clarified calmly.

"Oh my God," she whispered as she stood up, tears threatened to spill from her eyes as realization hit her.

"Something wrong Misato-san?" Shinji asked. Mayumi watched her closely as she slowly walked over to the counter.

"We… we caused it.... We caused the 2nd Impact…"

"That's… that's impossible!" Shinji exclaimed.

"No, it is true," Mayumi corrected gravely. "The Angels possess the Fruit of Life, which grants them nearly infinite power and immortality. The Lilum… children of the 2nd Angel Lillith, were gifted with the Fruit of Knowledge, giving them infinite potential and the ability to learn beyond the boundaries of either science or philosophy. Someone wanted both."

"The Katsuragi Expedition," Misato whispered. She turned towards Mayumi with a tear in her eye. "I was there when it happened." She lifted her shirt slightly showing the scar that stretched from abdomen to beyond the edge of the shirt. Shinji gasped in sympathy as this was the first time he'd ever seen it. "My father stuck me in an escape pod and sent me out to sea. I saw Adam…." She replaced her shirt and breathed out a ragged breath before wiping away a tear that began to trail down her face. "When my father said it was a contact experiment, I thought we were just trying to say hello. All this time we were to blame."

"That may be," Mayumi replied, "but Adam is just as guilty of starting this war as humanity is. Let's not overlook the fact that only a handful of humans were involved in this… and the Angels condemned all of humanity for those actions. Humanity suffered enough from the 2nd Impact; the catastrophe that resulted from it reshaped the world. The ones who need to be brought to final justice are the ones behind the whole mess. The hidden hands behind the Human Instrumentality Committee for starters need to be punished. Discovering who else is behind this is going to be harder."

"How so?" Shinji asked as he got up to comfort his guardian.

"I was originally supposed to Arbitrate the war between the Lilum and the Angels, this you knew Shinji-kun. However when Adam cut me from the collective, I knew that I had failed that mission. Somehow I get the feeling Adam is not pulling Exodus's strings anymore, otherwise he'd never work with someone like Doctor Doom. This could mean that Adam is now out of the picture... possibly dead. If that's true, its going to be harder, but not impossible, to start 3rd Impact. The worst part of it though, is now the Angels are going to go berserk."

"Thank you Shinji-kun," Misato whispered as Shinji gave his comfort to Misato in the form of a hug. "Berserk how?" she asked Mayumi.

Mayumi stood up. "As I mentioned, I was at one point a part of the Angel's collective because I became the new Angel of Thunder. But when Adam cut me off, I was forced to fend for myself. All of the Angels are connected though this network... this psychic link, and their connection to the All-Father gives them focus and direction. Without it, they lose their focus and revert to mindless aggression. The effect is rather similar to what happened to me on the carrier. The arrival of the messengers... the Angel Attacks... was based on a preconceived plan. Adam was the one controlling that plan, but now... now that the control is gone, they won't stick to any plan and attack the moment they are ready."

"Oh God," Shinji whispered. "That means they could attack at any time!"

"Worse," she replied. "They might come more than one at a time."

"Why haven't they started attacking already?" Misato asked.

"I don't know Misato," she replied. "There are two distinct and equally likely possibilities; they are not ready, or one of their number is strong enough to retake the reigns of power and keep them in check."

"Let's hope for the latter," Misato commented.

* * *

**End of Chapter X**

* * *

**End of the Dark Storm Saga**

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed the Dark Storm Saga. Now back to our regularly scheduled Angel War.

OLD RESPONSES

**Shay Guy:** Wow, you really had a lot to say. Honestly I could care less what you personally think of my writing style. But I have improved haven't I? Everyone has their own opinion on what they like to read. This obviously isn't your cup of tea. Since you already quoted me, I'm only going to ask that if you really don't like it, please read something else. I don't want to waste your time.

**Orionpax09:** Yeah, that part of Jet Alone didn't actually happen. While that would have been the most convenient place to get a Gamma Ray Overdose, it is by no means the only. I'm creative enough to figure out how to kick-start her transformation if I really need Misato to go green on someone who desperately disserves it. As it stands, with the addition of the Rei Clones becoming Doom's personal army, I'm considering having Silver Surfer step in and lend a hand later in the story. No definite on this yet.

**Archon Dragon:** Blackheart, as I said, is not a permanent addition, and has officially left the story for the time being. The Angel Wars are picking up again next chapter. Don't worry, I have enough to fuel your desire for giant monsters getting their bums kicked by hot chicks with superpowers. ^_^

**Commander Galos:** I always give credit where credit is due. This actually goes for anyone reading this and finding something that may require a shout out. Let me know if I miss something, please. I don't want to take credit for other people's brainstorms.

**Zoro50:** The point is now officially moot. Just as a heads up, he may show up again later. Things are still up in the air at this point.

**The Wandering Soul of 1014:** Actually… I don't have anything to say… I just find typing your name to be kind of fun for some unknown reason… I'm weird like that.

**Belthasar:** Not everyone is into that sort of thing and I understand that. However I felt this was an important part of her character development. Now that this part is over, I can focus on other things… coming to terms with herself and trying to stop humanity from dying…. I hope you can enjoy the rest of the story now that this part is done with.

**Neferius:** What are you psychic?! Actually, the ending of the battle was kind of predictable… I kind of set it up that way. So I apologize to anyone who found the end of the battle uninspired.

**Mike313:** I agree partially with your interpretation of Gendo… but yes, getting infused with Adam's power and energies did break his mind and yes he wants more power now. And its not really rule-the-world-for-the-sake-of-power… Gendo truly believes he alone can save the world from the stagnation and devastation it is wallowing in. He's deluded, obviously, but have you ever tried getting though to a madman? Neither have I but I can only imagine how hard it would be. And actually, not being Gendo anymore was sort of the point. Adam's infusion changed him though and through. When a person goes completely out of their mind, they are never the same.

**All:** Thank you again for your reviews. I hope to see all of you next chapter for better or for worse. I never thought I'd say this but… I may not be writing for the sake of reviews, but I'm realizing how valuable they are and it is nice to be appreciated. Sometimes it's even nice to be loathed.

NEW RESPONSES

**Fanfic Hunter:** You'll see.

**Neferius:** Corruption is funny that way. Maybe some of that dark power did remain, I certainly won't rule out the possible of it... but we'll just have to wait and see.

**Mike313:** Don't worry, I'm being careful with Spirit's powers. As for the battle with Blackheart... well, I hope the changes I made helped with that. When I read over this chapter again, it felt a bit rushed to me at the end, not to mention I didn't like the ending as much as I originally did. This time around I needed two things to happen, I needed a reason for Blackheart to retreat and for Exodus not to continue to pursue Storm. I hope that this version fixed that issue. Let me know.

* * *

**Ipsa Scientia Portestas Est: There Is No Knowledge That Is Not Power**

* * *


	11. Rain of Tears

**A/N:** After a long absence, I've returned. And I still own nothing.

**Please Note:** Chapter 10 was modified a bit ago. If you haven't read it since it came out originally, you should probably do that first.

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**XI: Rain of Tears**

* * *

Morning came far to quickly for Mayumi; She was still in pain, she was still in mourning for the loss of her mother, and she really did not want to leave her currently comfortable position. Though Shinji's mattress was a bit small for two people, Mayumi was quite small herself and was able to snuggle comfortably next to the boy who owned her heart. Here, within the boundaries of the warming aura of his body, she felt protected… she felt safe. She knew this was rather ironic since she was far more powerful than her boyfriend and had capabilities beyond the wildest dreams of any normal human.

Human… she was using that word again, not Lilum. With this realization, she felt happy. Her previous arrogance was partly caused by Blackheart's corruption but more from the fact that her biochemistry was changing to something more angelic before. Last night, she and Shinji consummated their relationship, not with lovemaking but rather with a genuine bonding of heart and soul. The experience still fresh with her, and in her heart she knew she would never be allowed to forget that moment.

Hikari had just left when she professed her love for him. That single shared kiss caused both of their souls to synchronize on a level no two beings on earth could boast. Shinji's very human soul had helped her begin to heal the damage done to her hybrid essence. She knew on some level they had become linked to each other, and it was a bond she needed more than anything else in her life.

Shinji began to stir, signaling his imminent awakening, and Mayumi was content to watch him wake up. He turned his head towards her and smiled.

"Good morning Shinji-kun," she whispered.

"Good morning May-chan," he replied. "You're looking a bit better this morning."

"I still feel horrible, but I am recovering now."

"I'm glad for that." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. Mayumi knew he wasn't nearly this forward before and was glad she was the one to help him break though the shell he created around himself. He was no longer afraid of showing affection to her.

After lingering for a moment, he got up and helped her get out of bed. He then left for the kitchen to prepare breakfast. To his surprise Misato was awake when he got there, with 2 empty Yabisu cans to her left.

Mayumi walked in behind him. "Morning Misato-san," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning Mayumi-chan. You sleep ok?"

"Yes."

"I knew you would be after sleeping next to Shinji-kun!" Misato delighted at the reddening faces and Shinji's sudden return to his more bashful self. _Still so easy to tease,_ she thought.

"I-I should make breakfast," he quickly got out and stuck his face in the fridge. Mayumi sat in front of Misato and looked at the two cans.

"Is that healthy," she asked pointing at the cans, "drinking beer so early in the morning?"

"It's the only way to wake up!" she said cheerfully.

"I'm surprised I wasn't woken up to your morning war cry," Shinji commented as he took a few supplies over the stove to begin preparing the morning meal.

"Well, I figured the two of you were still sleeping and I didn't want to wake you."

"Thank you for that." Misato flashed him a smile and went back to her newspaper. "Anything good?"

"There is an estimate of the damage done in that storm over Tokyo-2 yesterday. Over 20 billion yen… no injuries amazingly."

"That's good," Mayumi said softly. She knew that the battle she had with Exodus, the encore with Exodus and the battle with Spirit was the true cause of the devastation. Then her mind drifted back to why it all happened in the first place. Her eyes began to tear up and her lip trembled.

Shinji seemed to sense the change in his love and stopped what he was doing. "May-chan? Are you ok?"

The question got Misato's attention as well. She put down the newspaper just in time to see Mayumi begin crying uncontrollably. Shinji was at her side instantly and Mayumi clung to him tightly. He wrapped his arm around her as she continued crying into his chest.

"I…. I can't believe she's gone," Mayumi cried out. Shinji began to rub her back gently, trying to calm her sobs.

"I'm so sorry May-chan," he whispered.

"I am too," Misato whispered. "I know that there is little I can say to console you."

"I still can't help…. I… he needs to answer for his crimes," she stuttered out.

"Who?" Misato asked.

"Exodus," she hissed, anger now mixed with her tears. The morning sunshine began to retreat behind a layer of clouds that was beginning to move in. "He killed my mother… that bastard."

"Kaji," Misato whispered with contempt in her voice. "I'd like to kill him myself."

"No!" Mayumi nearly shouted, causing both Misato and Shinji to jump as the sound was punctuated with distant thunder. "That line of thinking nearly damned me! He will pay, but he will pay the right way. I'll find a way to strip him of his power and then I'll let the Japanese Courts decide his fate."

"May-chan," Shinji pleaded. "Please calm down. The weather…."

Mayumi quickly worked on getting her emotions under control, dispelling the clouds before they could bring yet another storm to the already drenched city.

"Thank you Shinji-kun," she whispered as she finally got all her emotions under control.

"Your emotions control the weather?" Misato asked.

"Something like that," Mayumi replied. "I seem to have a lot less control over my abilities when my emotions are out of whack. I'm getting better at that… but it's an uphill battle. I normally summon thunderstorms before going into battle because my powers seem to be stronger when the atmosphere is already unstable."

Suddenly the power went out, the AC stopped working and all the clocks except the battery operated ones went dead. Shinji and Misato looked at each other and then at Mayumi.

"I-I didn't do that!" she protested. "That lightning strike was cloud to cloud! It couldn't have caused this!" She felt something way too familiar at that moment and suddenly snapped her head towards the mountains.

"What is it?" Shinji asked.

"Matariel…."

* * *

"Initiate Protocol 4," Gendo ordered from the command bridge. The techs quickly worked in limited light to fulfill his orders. After a few moments, some of the lights on the command bridge came back on and some computer systems returned to normal operational status.

"Partial power restored," Maya announced. "We have access to about 34% of our systems. The Magi are online but all external sensors and cameras are offline."

"Well," Kozo began, "It would appear that your plan was at least partially successful."

"It is as successful as it needs to be," he replied in an even tone. "At least we still have environmental control and the catapults are still functional."

"Indeed," the old man replied. "So, the 9th is here then?"

"If not, approaching fast," he replied. "If I'm not too mistaken, the 2nd and 3rd Children should be on their way. It is only a matter of time before this new pawn of Adam falls."

"Excuse me Commander," came Kaji's voice behind them.

Gendo didn't even turn around. "What is it, Inspector?"

"I got a few leads though my contacts. Two of SEELE 's members have been located. You're orders?"

"Nothing for now," Gendo replied. "I want to make sure we have all 12 located before we make our move. In order to prevent repercussions later, we'll need to take out all of them at once. You'll assign assassins to each of them when the time comes, but you will leave one unassigned."

"Oh? Going to get your hands dirty too?"

"Is there a problem with that Inspector?"

"Of course not, just surprised is all. Which member are you going to take care of personally, or should I guess?"

"You know that already Inspector."

"Indeed… I'll let you know the moment we locate Keel."

Gendo hit a button on his command desk and gave another order. "Go to Stage 2 Alert! Prepare EVA-00 for combat. Deploy her along Route 792 bound for Section 3J and have her standby. She is to observe the target but not engage it."

"You think we might be under attack by an Angel?" Maya Ibuki asked.

"That's correct Lieutenant. That route should put her off the path other angels have followed. Pilot Ayanami should be able to confirm the existence of the angel."

"Very well sir," she replied.

"Pilot Ayanami reporting as ordered Commander," came a voice over intercom as Rei's face became visible on the main screen; her expression as neutral as ever as she calmly awaited her instructions.

"Lt. Ibuki has command of the operation until Captain Katsuragi arrives."

"Understood."

"Rei," Maya's voice came. "We're going to launch you on catapult 4 along route 792. Once you hit the surface, proceed to sector 3J and report any enemy sightings."

"Roger," she replied in a monotone voice. Sometimes the girl freaked her out, she was the prefect little soldier, and way too young to be one.

"Eva Launch!" Maya ordered in the manner that Misato did on numerous occasions.

Within seconds, 00 was topside. As soon as the restraints released, she moved to the designated area.

"EVA operations stable… Rei is synchronizing at… 59%?" Maya questioned the readings she was getting. Rei never showed a synch ratio this high before.

"Good," Gendo replied as if it were an expected response. "Pilot Ayanami, can you see the target?"

Rei peeked around the building she was using as cover and caught sight of an object moving on 6 spindly legs. "Affirmative," she replied. "Target is moving towards the center of the city at approximately 62 Kph." She turned on her camera feeds so the bridge could see what she was seeing.

"That's the angel?" Shigeru asked.

"We have no external telemetry and can not confirm the target's pattern. However The Magi unanimously agree that the target is an angel," Maya announced for the Commander's benefit in as much as to answer Shigeru's question. "Rei, observe the target but take no action yet."

"Understood," she replied.

"Now what," Kozo asked.

"We wait for the other children and deploy them. This one isn't exactly as described in the Dead Sea Scrolls. I want more data."

* * *

A Renault Alpine screeches to a halt at one of the access points into NERV. Misato frantically tries the card reader but find it's not working.

"Damn it!" she yells as both rear doors of her car open and 2 individuals get out.

Shinji closes the passenger side door and looks around. "Power must be out here too."

"This whole goddamned city is dead!" Misato yelled and kicked the reader.

Mayumi looked around. "I can jump start it," she offers.

"No," Shinji replied immediately. "You could reactivate the security system. Then they'd see you doing it… we can't risk that."

"You got any other ideas?" Misato asked as Mayumi took a few steps away from the vehicle and looked west.

"I remember reading about emergency access doors. They work on a manual crank, and I'm almost positive there is one nearby."

"Good thinking."

"Spirit is out there," Mayumi said distantly.

"May-chan, how do you know that?" Shinji asked.

"I can sense her. She's going to engage Matariel… but something's wrong… something's different."

"Different how?" Misato asked.

"I think Matariel has modified her form," she said ominously. "She feels different from when I felt her in the collective. I have to go help Spirit." She quickly grabbed her small backpack out of the car.

Shinji approached her as she checked to make sure her costume was in there. "May-chan, you shouldn't do this."

"I have to Shinji-kun," she replied as she closed up the pack. "I'm not sure how effective I'll be but she needs help."

"Just be careful at least."

She smiled back to him. "Always," she replied and gave him a quick kiss before running down the street looking for an alleyway to change in.

* * *

Meanwhile, Spirit had her hands full with a rather potent angel.

"This thing is a pain in my rear," she whispered as she looked for safe angle of attack, only get to fired upon by a set of powerful energy beams that tore the top half off of a near by skyscraper. Rather than being an ovoid form, Matariel was shaped roughly like a 20-sided die with 6 massive black legs keeping the form stable. Each faucet had a glaring eye, and each eye was capable of spraying an acidic stream from the edges of it or focus an intense beam of raw power from its pupil.

If that were not bad enough, she sensed a very strong AT Field that was deflecting the best of what she had to offer. This thing was a walking fortress. She watched as it settled in the middle of major intersection. Though she couldn't see it, she assumed there was another eye on the bottom, and this one was currently crying onto a large circular access hatch. The acid quickly ate though revealing a shaft. More tears poured down into the hole.

"Its going to try to eat though the street? Ramiel tried doing that with a drill. Why do these Angels keep trying to get underground?"

"Spirit!"

She turned towards the sound of her name as she dodged another energy blast.

"Storm! I'm glad to see you. Are you well enough to fight?"

"Yeah," she said as she got her first real look at Matariel. "What have you done to your self, sister?"

_**So, the traitor speaks.**_

"Answer me, Matariel! What did you do to yourself?!"

_**Necessary adaptations to complete the scenario... you and the other outcast stand no chance against this magnificent new form!**_

"Magnificent?" Spirit questioned. "More like abomination."

_**You are the abomination! Both of you! Nothing more than a pair of useless half-breeds! And you Ramiel… you shame us all!**_

"No," Storm replied. "I have shamed nothing. I will not damn an entire race for the actions of a few like you have. The so-called pure-blood Angels for all their superiority have no sense at all when it comes to conflict resolution. Your kind didn't even try to gain proper restitution for what happened… and now your meddling has caused even more chaos. How many more must suffer before your kind are satisfied?!"

_**When the Lilum are no more, and can threaten us no longer… then and only then will we stop!**_

"Then you leave us no choice," she replied as the skies darkened and her eyes began to turn pure white.

_**Come try it abomination! I will reduce you to soup. I cry these tears for Adam… and my sorrow will be the undoing of your entire race.**_

"God," Spirit whispered. "What a crybaby."

Storm smirked despite the horrible pun.

* * *

"Ok I admit, we're lost," Shinji replied in a defeatist tone. "I never bothered to study the access tunnel maps for NERV… I really didn't think I'd ever have to use them."

Misato looked around with her flashlight. Though each pipe was roughly the height of a man and was clearly marked with location numbers, they felt close and confusing none-the-less.

"Well we have to do something. We can't just keep walking around in circles." Shinji agreed with Misato as he frantically tried to come up with a solution to their problem.

"There you are baka!" came Asuka's voice. "I figured you'd get lost. Then again I'm surprised that you even managed to get this far."

"Can it Asuka, I don't have time for this right now. We have to get the cages."

"I know… Angel."

"How did you know about it?" he asked.

"I saw the bastard. Mein Gott these things keep getting weirder every time they show up!"

"I think it might be causing the power outage," Shinji added.

"And how did you find out about it?"

"Storm told me," he replied. It really wasn't a lie, but he was going to omit the part about Mayumi being Storm and that she was living with them.

"You and those Uber-bitches," she growled in annoyance. Shinji for once held his tongue, but only because he didn't want to waste anymore time.

"So how do we get to the cages?"

"Wish I knew," Asuka replied. "I'm just as lost as you are, but I know where I haven't tried yet. I've been memorizing the tunnel numbers. We should go that way."

"We'll follow," Misato replied.

5 Minutes later, the tunnels were not as spacious….

"You better not be looking up my skirt 3rd!"

"As if I'd care to!" he snapped back.

"Both of you shut up!" Misato shouted. "I'm sick of hearing the two of you bicker like old people! Just concentrate on getting us though this."

"I'm moving as fast as I…" and that was the last thing Misato heard before a short scream as the grating underneath Asuka gave way sending both her and Shinji tumbling down into the hallway below. "Get… OFF!" she yelled.

Misato couldn't help but chuckle as she looked down and saw that Asuka landed back first and Shinj landed face first on top of her. Shinji pushed himself up and looked down in time to see that his right hand had ended up on Asuka's left…. "Gah!" He screamed as he nearly jumped off of her.

"Pervert!" Asuka yelled at him.

"Like I wanted to touch you there!" Shinji yelled back.

"I'm telling your girlfriend you molested me!"

"It was an accident!"

"Likely story you perverted little baka hentai!"

As the bickering continued, Misato face-palmed. "And to think, the fate of the world rests with these two…."

* * *

The battle above the streets of Tokyo-3 continued to rage as two superwomen continued their assault on Matariel. Spirit nimbly dodged another set of energy rays as Storm slammed the angel's side with Thor's Hammer, but the nine intense bolts did minimal damage. She had to quickly dodge an incoming torrent of deadly acid cutting short any attempts to capitalize on the little damage she did do.

"I can't punch a big enough hole in this thing," Storm complained as she hid behind a building to avoid another set of energy blasts. "Any ideas?"

"Its taking both of us just to weaken its AT Field enough to land any direct hits, and its flesh is tough enough to withstand direct impacts with little effect," Spirit replied. "Maybe a concerted attack on one eye can cause some decent damage."

"The problem is this thing can attack at virtually any angle. And regardless of where we strike from we have to deal with multiple eyes."

_**I told you that you're attacks would be useless against me. Drown in your own sorrow and impotence.**_

"I really wish she'd shut up," Spirit said.

* * *

Finally, the trio managed to get to the command center.

"I'm assuming command," Misato announced as she entered. "Shinji, Asuka… get prepped and prepare to launch. Ibuki… status report."

Shinji and Asuka ran for the locker rooms, glad that this part of the base still had power.

"Spirit and Storm have engaged the 9th Angel, but they're not doing much to it."

"Where's Rei?"

"Still holding position in Sector 3J. She's the reason we have any telemetry at all. The angel is using an acidic solvent to burn though the layers of armor above us. It's already dissolved though 3 of them. At this rate it will penetrate the Geofront in less than 3 hours."

"Wonderful," Misato deadpanned. "As soon as Shinji and Asuka are ready, we'll dispatch them along routes 932 and 674. They'll attack from the North East, and West simultaneously while Rei provides support from the south."

"Classic encirclement," Gendo commented. "Simple but effective. I leave this in your capable hands, Captain." And with that the commander's bridge lowered out of sight.

"Do we have any of the city's weapon systems up and running?"

"There isn't enough power," Maya replied.

"Damn. So much for a distraction…."

* * *

Five minutes later, Shinji and Asuka hit the surface in their Evas. As soon as the restraints let go, they both took off to the designated locations.

"Thank God you showed up," came Storm's voice in his head.

"Storm?" he questioned quietly.

"Yes, it's me. I can speak to you telepathically. Listen, Matariel has a very potent defense, her skin is resisting most of our attacks and she has a strong AT Field. In addition she has the ability to fire piercing beams of energy and streams of extremely potent acid. I know there are three of you up here, and it may just take all 5 of us to take this thing down."

"Misato has us using a classic encirclement," he offered.

"It's a start, though I think she can split her focus in as many as 20 different directions at once."

Shinji cringed, gripping the controls tighter. "This is not going to be easy."

"I surmised that as well," she responded. "We'll have to try to overtax her. Follow the orders you were given. Spirit and I will try to add to the confusion and maybe give you the opening you need."

"Roger." He turned his radio on. "Misato-san! Can you get those barricade things up near the target? We need more cover if we're going to pull this off."

"You got it Shinji," she responded.

Near Matariel, several superdense slabs of metal rose out of the street.

_**What's this now?**_

Unit 00 broke from cover and extended her AT Field. Matariel felt it wash over her trying to cancel her field and responded with 3 eye rays but hit nothing. Rei's enhanced synch ratio allowed her to evade the attack easily. While Asuka was getting in position to do the same Storm and Spirit flew in from the top and rained destruction in the form of bolts of lightning and angelic energy blasts though none of them penetrated. Matariel responded with an energy volley of her own but was unable to hit the nimble superwomen. Another nearby skyscraper suffered the shots instead losing a few level off of its top.

_**Quite bothersome aren't you? You can't keep this up forever. No one can escape true sorrow and suffering.**_

"Oh just shut up," Storm yelled back. "You're depression is making me want to slit my wrists! See, this is why I never got into the whole Emo thing."

Unit 01 broke out of cover and unleashed a short burst from its pallet rifle as it extended its field. With Unit 00, Spirit and Storm doing the same thing, Matariel's defenses were becoming less effective, and the shots struck home. The heavy shells chewed into Matariel's flesh and took out one of its eyes. Through the psionic link he shared with Storm, he heard the angel's painful cries… and smiled.

Matariel responded by turning about 15 degrees counter clockwise and unleashed a powerful spray of acid. Shinji coaxed Unit 01 to drop behind the barricade Misato had erected and the superdense metal managed to hold against the stream of acid, though it was quickly disintegrating. Before it could get though, Storm was able to focus a strong stroke of electrical power into that eye, burning it out and halting the attack. At that moment, Spirit unleashed a Halo Wave into Matariel's side blowing one of its six legs completely off.

Matariel's response was quick and rather painful. A series of five beams was unleashed upon her, and although Spirit was able to dodge these nimbly the shots were herding her into a trap. Before she realized what happened, a massive stream of acid was heading straight for her, and she didn't get completely out of its path in time. A scream tore from her lungs as her left arm and her left wing were almost instantly burned away by the searing acid. Before she could fall to earth however, Storm swooped in and got her to safety.

"Spirit!" Storm yelled. "Stay with me!"

Spirit could say nothing but continue to shriek in pain. It was taking all of her concentration to keep her regeneration one step ahead of the acid to prevent it from completely burning her from the inside out. Storm laid her down carefully and conjured a small localized cloud a few feet above the injuries which began to rain pure water to neutralize the acid. Spirit screamed again as the burning sensation of air and water on open wounds hit her.

Meanwhile, Asuka unleashed her AT Field and got shot with a beam for her troubles, though it was just a graze. "I hate this thing," she grunted under her breath and quickly spun out from her hiding place to fire her own Pallet Rifle into the thing. She was rewarded with a spray of acidic blood as another eye was blinded by the attack. Matariel quickly spun and fired again, this time hitting Asuka's rifle and rendering it useless. She dropped the weapon, got back into heavy cover and considered her options. She wished she could get close enough to take this thing in close combat.

Mayumi realized that Spirit was having problems regenerating the damage to her body. "Hold still," she whispered and place a hand over her body at the rough location of her S2 Organ. She closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing raw angelic power into it. With a slight moan of pain, Spirit's left wing suddenly sprung to life again as her left arm began reforming itself.

"How did you do that?" Spirit asked as she looked at her bare but fully regenerated arm.

"I just transferred some of my energy to you," she replied with a smile. "Don't spend it all in one place." Spirit chuckled slightly at the joke. "Are you ok to fight now?"

"I need a few to recoup but I'll be alright."

"Good, I have to go help Shinji." With that she took to the sky again. She almost kicked herself upon realization. _Of course! All those books you read and you didn't think of this before? _She concentrated on the storm above and called down a torrential downpour localized over Matariel. The heavy rain seeped into the angel's wounds causing more pain as the acidic fluid was being neutralized on contact with the water.

_**What are you doing?!**_

"Making your remaining moments on this world hell," she responded. She saw the remains of Asuka's Pallet Rifle and extended her magnetic influence on it while establishing a mental link with the pilot of Unit 02 which was closest. "Asuka, I know you don't exactly like me being here, but I have a plan and I need your help."

"And what do you want from me now Uberbitch?"

"I'll let that slide. You're in the perfect position to execute this plan… I'm going to tell Shinji to hit the angel with everything that's left in his rifle. This should force the angel to spin around to retaliate, when it does, I'm going to take what's left of your gun and use my power to reforge it into a flesh ripping implement and use it to open a hole. If we time this right, you should get your chance."

"Oh how nice, you're letting me get the kill. I guess I should thank you." Her voice was bordering on sarcastic but again, Storm didn't have time to complain.

Storm condensed the metal in the broken weapon into a hook and floated it off the ground. "Shinji! Hit it!"

Unit 01 came out of hiding and went full auto against the side of the angel ripping its flesh open and destroying another eye. At the same time, Rei also broke from hiding and used a positron cannon to destroy another eye. Matariel spun around to face Shinji with a fresh eye and prepared to fire. Asuka saw the wound she created in front of her. Spirit at that moment rejoined the battle and fired a blast of pure angelic force into the same wound. Matariel stumbled from the direct hit and Storm made her move. Using her magnetic abilities she sent the hook into the angel's wound and pulled it back ripping deep into the flesh and exposing the core.

Asuka smiled, ejected her cable and went for her progressive knife but stopped short as she realized the core was too deep inside the angel's body for her to reach. But then she got an idea and rushed forward at full speed dodging a series of lasers and a stream of quickly neutralizing acid. At the half way mark, her right shoulder pylon opened exposing her spike launcher. She stopped short to take aim as Storm landed another massive volley of electrical bolts to stop the angel from firing on Asuka. Unit 02 fired the full salvo of deadly super-dense spikes into the angel. Three of the lethal projectiles managed to penetrate the outer layers of the core but the angel was still up.

"Just die!" Asuka shouted as she ran full tilt and delivered a spinning, flying kick into the hole. Her arm may not have been long enough to reach but her leg was. The impact drove the spikes straight though the core, finally killing the Angel of Tears. Its body flipped over from the impact onto its top and its legs twitched a few times before they finally stopped.

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the angel die. Spirit landed on a nearby building as Storm landed on Unit 01's right shoulder.

"Good work… all of you," came Misato's voice over the radio. Shinji had turned on his external speakers so Storm could hear the praise as well.

"I need a shower," Asuka said dryly.

* * *

Two hours later, Shinji was home watching Mayumi reading a book. Full power had been restored to Tokyo-3 and Shinji was glad of it. The humid atmosphere of the house was quickly replaced by cooler, dryer air. The girl he loved was on his bed face down and propped on her elbows. Her knees bent with her feet in the air lightly bouncing as she continued reading. Appropriately, she was reading a chemistry book.

Shinji was about to say something but was content to simply watch her. His cell phone rang, pulling his attention away. He checked the number on the display and was surprised to see it was Asuka's. Mayumi looked up questioningly and Shinji responded by placing a finger vertically over his lips indicated she should remain quiet. She nodded in understanding.

"Hello?"

"Hello Baka," came Asuka's voice.

"I really wish you would stop calling me that."

"Look… I've been thinking a lot about what we were talking about back on the Over The Rainbow…."

"Yeah?"

Silence reigned for a moment before Asuka finally answered. He heard her drawing in breath as if she was not looking forward to this. "I… Ok, you were right. There, I said it."

"Right about what?"

"About Storm… about Spirit… about, well… everything. I can see now that they are needed here. As much as I'd like to believe that I can take these angels solo… I… I have to admit that I wouldn't have been able to take the 9th on my own."

Shinji couldn't believe his ears. Asuka was actually admitting she was wrong? He wondered if this was a sign of the apocalypse.

"The truth is… Eva is everything I have. Eva is what defines me and I was afraid that you, Wondergirl and das Uberwomen were going to take that away from me. But I'm beginning to see now that that isn't really what's happening."

"No one can go it alone Asuka," Shinji whispered. "I had to learn that the hard way myself. I thought I could go on living in a shell… I was afraid to hurt anyone, afraid of getting hurt… but after I met Mayumi… well, things changed for the better."

"For what it's worth… you two do make a cute couple."

Shinji blushed at that assertion. "T-Thanks… I think."

"Geeze Baka, I finally give you a compliment and you don't know how to take it? You're hopeless."

Shinji chuckled sheepishly.

"Just remember one thing. I'm still the best. As long as we all understand that, I think we can get along just fine."

Shinji inwardly chuckled. While Asuka probably meant every word of it, it still struck him as funny.

"I better go. Kaji has been under a lot of stress lately and he needs me."

His face hardened at that. He wanted to tell Asuka the truth about the man she was in love with… what kind of a person he really was… but he knew she would never believe it. And rather then sacrifice the bond he had with his fellow pilot, he decided it was best to hold his tongue for the time being.

"Okay," was all he replied instead. "I'll see you at school Monday."

"Later." And with that she hung up.

Mayumi looked at him concerned. "She has to know the truth about him."

"I know," Shinji said. "But I don't know how I can possibly tell her about it without sacrificing our friendship. She's not in any danager so far as I can tell but… I'm worried."

"I know Shinji-kun," she replied as she got off the bed and approached the chair he was sitting in. "She may not like the real me, but I don't want to see her hurt either."

Shinji leaned against her as her arms encircled him. "I feel so powerless sometimes."

"I know that feeling," she replied. "I may be a Nephilim, but… sometimes even I can do nothing without help."

* * *

Gendo was busy tinkering with another small device he was looking to integrate into his costume when he heard someone enter. He didn't even have to look up to know who it was.

"Report."

"I was deployed as ordered," Rei began, "Spirit engaged the target at 1517 hours and was joined soon after by Storm. However they could not defeat the angel. The full account is in the report I gave you."

Gendo stopped working on his device and folded his hands in their customary pose. "I am pleased by our progress here Rei. Your synchronization ratio has greatly improved."

"Thank you sir," she replied. In her mind she knew what was being done to her was wrong, but she would never question the commander. The praise didn't matter to her, only the reason for it. The Commander was pleased with her, and she was doing her job... nothing beyond that existed, but her purpose was taken from her. He had told her the original reason for her existence was no longer viable, and although he didn't tell her why, that didn't concern her. All she knew was that she was still useful to him, and this new use would be long term.

"I'd like you to endure the treatment again," he said to her. The treatment caused her a lot of pain and discomfort last time but if this was his wish, she would follow his instructions. Her own life was meaningless… or was it….

She thought back to her encounter with Shinji, the commander's son in her apartment the day he brought her new badge… she thought about the blatant disrespect he showed for Commander Ikari which she punished him for… about what he told her after the battle with the 5th Angel, when she was still in her plug and he had managed to open the door….

_Is there more to all of this? What is it I fail to see?_

"Yes, Commander. Will there be anything else?"

"No."

Rei turned and left the office bound for the laboratories. Though she was seemingly emotionless, she did have feelings. And she knew that something was out of place… Gendo had spent a lot of time tinkering lately and Doctor Akagi had been acting a little strange lately. Maya of course was the first to notice she was a little off, but the visual and audio cues were becoming impossible to ignore. She was little by little becoming more like her… like Rei. And she began to wonder if The Commander somehow had something to do with that as well.

Though he used NERV as a tool before, something was different this time. She was not privy to his secret plan for world domination… not privy to what was happening to her sisters deep within terminal dogma… she didn't know what exactly he did to Doctor Akagi… and she certainly had no clue as to what his true plans for her were now. All she knew was that the man she respected, owed her entire existence to, had changed….

"Commander Ikari," she whispered to no one. "Who are you….?"

* * *

**End of Chapter 11**

**

* * *

A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Mike313:** Before you yell at me about Asuka being too open, she's now had several experiences with the Superwomen and its starting to get to her. She's still an arrogant little bitch, but she realizes that she can't go it alone. This is certainly not to say she's not still going to complain about them occasionally and even jeer them a bit. She's still Asuka after all. And I'm sorry if it seems like I've been abusing the hell out of Spirit lately. I just don't want her to detract too much from Storm. She's still important to the storyline. Have your read the rewrite of Chapter 10 yet?

**All:** My life has turned out to be pretty hectic lately. As some of you may already be aware, I lost my job and in today's economy, I can't seem to get another one. As you can imagine, it has affected my ability to write. So I apologize for not updating sooner. Those of you waiting for the next chapter of Bloodlust will unfortunately have to wait a bit longer.

"When your neighbor loses their job, it's a recession. When you lose your job, it's a depression." –Unknown.


	12. Rain of Destruction

**A/N:** Do I look like I work for Gainax? Do I look like I work for Marvel? I didn't think so… I don't own either Marvel Comics or Neon Genesis Evangelion. Of course if either offered me a job, I'd accept it in a heartbeat.

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**XII: Rain of Destruction**

* * *

In the darkness of space, the Earth silently spun… utterly complacent in its role in the universe. Somewhere above it however, an entity of startling power approaches. Soon it will orbit this tiny blue-green sphere and attempt to complete it suicide mission. Somewhere on that planet was The Egg of Lilith, and within that lay its enemies.

Though this massive creature knew it would not survive this mission, it cared not. In the realm from which it came it would be renewed and the tiny creatures which inhabited this insignificant world would be one step closer to annihilation. Seven of its brothers and sisters already tried and failed, but this entity was confident it would succeed where they have not.

* * *

Deep within the bowels of NERV laid a massive complex known to a few as Terminal Dogma. Within this massive complex, the angel known as Lilith silently hung from the cross. For a very long time she has remained silent, watching the events of the world as they happened though the eyes of her children… and she has wept for them. So many were innocent and now so many were made to suffer at the hands of Adam's brethren.

She knew some were guilty of what has happened, and even now they continue to plot and scheme. Adam's children wanted to destroy the human race, but Lilith wanted to see her children evolve. For a time it seemed that the lilum known as Gendo Ikari would bring about that evolution but now, his designs have changed, and Lilith has come to realize that her children were just not ready. None of them were ready to embrace the oneness that some call the Red Earth Ceremony, to become one and ascend to a higher plane of existence.

And so… within the bowels of NERV, in the massive chamber where she continues to give her very blood to help defend this world from Adam's progeny, she continues to remain silent. Would she forgive her children for miss using her so? Would she find a way to contribute her assistance to their cause so that one day they may free her? Perhaps, but she would do nothing until her children were ready. So she continues to hang upon a massive red cross. She can sense the beings her children have created from her… the Nephilim Rei Ayanami, and the thousands upon thousands of clones gestating within unholy devices in a nearby chamber.

And this was what truly made her sad. In her present condition, she could do nothing to stop what was happening. Gendo Ikari, the man who once promised to bring her children to ascension, now threatens to use her to subvert the entire world. But though she appeared complacent, hanging there upon a religious icon, she began to plan and strategize her next move. She knew that one of Adam's Children has rebelled against his goals, and by chance or design, another Nephilim was involved in the same cause. Could she find a way to aid them in what was certain to be a battle they could not win?

As she pondered this, she felt the approach of another of Adam's children. Soon the Angel of Skies would make its move. Sahaquiel was coming….

* * *

While the children were in the midst of another Synchronization test, Misato was excused from the bridge to catch up on the veritable mountain of paperwork that came in the wake of Matariel. The angel was incredibly powerful and took a concerted effort from all 3 active EVA's as well as both of the Superwomen protecting the city to take it down. She didn't even want to venture a guess as to how powerful the next angel would be. Ritusko, as far as she knew, was likely already working on improvements to the EVA's and their weapon systems in preparation for the next sortie, though even she expressed little hope of improving them… especially considering the 5% budget cut handed to them as well as sheer level of escalation she was observing. Matariel leveled about 20% of the city during her rampage.

Speaking of Ritsuko, just what was with her lately? She was usually rather stoic and not really excitable but this was ridiculous. She's becoming more and more like Rei Ayanami ever day. Her emotional response seemed dulled almost to the point of non-existence. Only a sigh now and again let her know that the good doctor had not become a robot.

A knock at her door roused her out of her thoughts, though when she looked up, she almost wished she hadn't especially now, knowing what she knew about the man everyone else knew as Kaji. To her, Kaji was dead… and this thing that was standing at her office door now was a monster. But Misato knew she couldn't let on that she knew anything. She was not looking forward to this.

Keeping her emotions in check she flashed him a smile, while in her own mind, she wanted to kill this man for what he had done… for what he is now.

"Hey you," she said cheerfully.

"Hello beautiful," Kaji replied. "Just came by to see if you finished the damage estimates from the last battle yet."

_Checking on the carnage your friends have been dealing out is more like it. _"Yeah," she replied. "It's right here." She handed him the folder. He took it and casually flipped though it.

"17.5 Billion? I guess it could have been worse."

"True, it could have been what happened to Tokyo-2. I read in the newspaper that the damage estimates were over 20 billion."

"Its amazing that storm didn't hit us."

"We could have weathered it better than Tokyo-2," Misato replied. "Actually I'm kind of sorry it didn't. It would have been a good test of the stability of the outer buildings since they don't retract into the Geo-Front."

"I guess that's true," he replied. "So I was wondering if you were ready to cash in that rain-check yet."

She smiled. "Sorry Kaji, I'm up to my ears in paperwork and as you're probably well aware of, I have more to do beyond that."

"Well it was a thought. Seems like the world is plotting against us eh?"

"You could say that."

Almost as if on cue, they felt a slight vibration.

"Did you…" but before she could finish that line, the angel alarms went off. Misato dropped what she was doing and headed straight for the bridge, pushing past Kaji in the process. "You had to open your mouth," she complained as she passed him.

* * *

5 minutes ago….

Sahaquiel entered into low orbit around earth holding at a near geo-synchronous speed over Japan. Its massive orange body had eyes and small projects sprung from its body. Bulges appeared on its left and right sides where the side eyes were and many smaller projects sprung from these. A fourth eye began to form on its underside creating a lump like growth. This growth when fully formed dropped from the main body. The eye turned downwards as four additional projections began to form. At 30,000' the eye locked on to the nearest important looking target and the added projections split off from the main.

Since the center mass was heavier, the smaller projections were quickly outpaced by its rate of decent. When the eye reached earth there was a massive explosion as kinetic energy was transferred from the entity to the ground violently, causing a shockwave that devastated everything within a five mile radius. The smaller projections split off in different directions and turned red. Matter quickly converting into energy as the 4 exploded in mid air raining thousands of smaller globules of charged matter. Upon impact they exploded each with the force of a large fertilizer bomb laying waste to everything within a 10 mile radius of the center's initial blast point.

High above, Sahaquiel observed the destruction and modified its orbit. It was still well off target….

* * *

In the Katsuragi apartment, Mayumi Yamagishi looked skyward and frowned.

_**Struggling with the inevitability of it Ramiel?**_

"I was not looking forward to this, if that's what you mean."

_**Of course you weren't. As have probably already sensed, I have made modifications to myself as well. I figured the machines the Lilum created would be strong enough to stop me if I simply fell to earth, so I've made things a bit more interesting.**_

"I'm not even sure if an Evangelion could catch such a weight, but if anyone could it would be my Shinji-kun…. But you found a way to convert your own angelic matter into a volatile substance that explodes at the slightest bump. If they attempt to catch you, you will detonate and destroy everything anyway."

_**Marvelous isn't it. The perfect "Catch 22"… or would that be 86 in this case.**_

"Your attempt at humor leaves a lot to be desired. And this plan of yours will fail."

_**No it won't. The Light of My Soul is stronger than Matariel's and by the time the Lilum's toys are close enough to erode it, there will be no time to react. My body will level the entire countryside. Then from the ashes, we will find what's left of The All-Father and do what you failed to… end this once and for all.**_

Mayumi had to admit that Sahaquiel was right. She didn't see a way though this…

"We will stop you." Turning from the window she threw her mind outwards seeking Shinji… certainly he would know what to do.

* * *

Inside of NERV at that moment, Shinji, Asuka and Rei had their test cut short to view what a spy satellite managed to catch. Sahaquiel's form floated in low orbit slowly adjusting its course before preparing to drop another cluster bomb. Just before the bomb dropped, it emitted a powerful ECM wave that shut down every satellite in the area.

"It's… big," was all Shinji could say.

Misato nodded and turned to the pilots before beginning the briefing. "What we know is that the angel is dropping parts of itself, devastating everything on the surface. The first bomb took out a satellite relay station making tracking it from the surface almost impossible. Since then it has been adjusting its path. We believe it will attempt a suicide drop somewhere in this vicinity." The static on the screen was replaced with a map. A large red circle indicated the projected drop area.

"Mein Gott! It could be anywhere in that area?"

"Unfortunately," Misato answered. "On top of that, the parts it has been dropping have also broken into smaller pieces and rained over a large area round the central blast points."

"If it does the same thing when the entire body falls," Rei began, "then even if we could reestablish surface radar, the scanners would be confused by the sheer number of objects which in turn would make tracking it impossible."

"Yes Rei," Misato agreed gravely. "We're aware of that, which means we need to establish visual confirmation of its location before we can make a move."

"Does my father have anything to say about this?" Shinji added with a bit of malice in his voice.

"We're unable to contact him. He and the Sub-Commander are touring the 2nd Impact site. Ever since it arrived, the angel has been jamming all external communications."

"How convenient," Asuka said sarcastically. "So what do we do?"

Shinji remained quite as Storm spoke to him in his mind, telling him what she learned about this latest angel.

"I have an idea, but the Magi don't seem to rate our chances well," Misato explained. "We'll deploy all 3 EVAs to these locations. Once visual confirmation of the target has been verified the there of you will get into position under it and catch it using your AT Fields."

"Bad idea," Shinji interjected, as his eyes still appeared distant.

"Huh?"

"Is Storm talking to you Shinji?" Asuka asked, remembering that Storm was able to on some level establish telepathic communication. As far as she's been lead to understand, it is a trait all angels share, though she wasn't sure Storm could be classified in that category.

"Yes," he replied. "She said Sahaquiel, what she calls the 10th Angel, has a new ability not previously seen in any of its early incarnations. It can convert its body into a highly volatile explosive. If we catch it the sudden shock of it landing will trigger it and destroy everything anyway."

"Wonderful," Misato groaned.

"Storm says she might be able to stop the smaller pieces from touching down. She's going to get Spirit to help her with that. But the AT Field put out by Sahaquiel is even stronger than the last angel. It's going to take all 5 of us to disable it. Problem is, by the time we're close enough, it can still do a lot of damage and probably still kill us all."

"So that's it then," Misato said. "We have to find a way to punch though the AT Field before it gets close enough to do any real damage."

Silence reigned in the briefing room as the 3 pilots and the Captain attempted to rack their brains for a solution. It seemed hopeless… any contingency would be useless against such a foe.

It was Asuka however who suddenly had a bright idea. Putting that college degree of hers to good use she stepped over to the control panel of the briefing room and began running numbers in her head.

"Misato," said at length. "Is the wiring you used during Operation Yashima still there?"

"Yeah, why?"

"How did you get past the AT Field of Ramiel?"

Misato wondered what the two had in common then a light went off in her head. "Of course! The Positron Rifle! Ritusko said the engineering department managed to create a working replica of it. We can use it… but the sniping point is so far away from the field. Will the rifle even reach that far?"

"It will," Shinji said. "It must. But I'm going to need a clear shot to snipe the core. And I need spotters."

"Count me in," Asuka volunteered. "Rei and I can use conventional weapons along with the automated defense system to help the Uberwomen shoot down the smaller ones. As soon as we spot it we'll try to triangulate its location."

"Shinji," Misato said in a slightly authoritarian voice. "You're likely only going to get one shot at this… you have to destroy the target before its low enough in the atmosphere to cause severe damage to the city. Asuka, can you tell me how high that is?"

"Well, based on the estimates of the size of the smaller parts that caused the craters, the estimated size of the angel itself, which is enormous by the way, and the relative explosive power we've seen so far… about 10,000 feet."

"It's gonna be close," Shinji whispered. "I can do it."

* * *

On a high building overlooking the area of operation, Storm stood. Her concentration was on keeping the storm clouds that normally accompany her approach to the outer rim of the projected area Sahaquiel would crash land to do the most damage. Spirit landed next to her.

"This is going to get ugly really fast," Storm said to her.

Spirit nodded. "How many targets will there be?"

"I don't know… a lot though. They should all be within the area the storm clouds are not touching."

Spirit looked around at the massive circle in the sky. "That's a lot area to cover."

"I'll be covering the North Quadrant, you'll take the south. Asuka and Rei will be taking the East and West respectively. That way we'll have total coverage."

"Sounds reasonable. So when is this thing going to fall?"

"Soon."

* * *

About twenty miles outside of Tokyo-3 another massive explosion lit up the sky. Sahaquiel had finally got close enough to the mark to determine his drop zone. He didn't know what the Lilum were planning but this was of no consequence. Within minutes he would be in position and he would end them all.

* * *

At the Sniping Point….

Shini's Eva stood at the sniper's post he used during Operation Yashima. A massive trailer carrying the improved version of the Positron Rifle he used during that mission rolled up next to him. Shinji began talking to himself.

"I haven't been up here since the day Storm was born… the day the original Angel of Thunder died. What is it I'm feeling? Cold? Uncertain? I have to push these thoughts from my mind. I have to clear my head and concentrate on the mission." He looked down from the hill and saw the impressions left by EVA 00 and her plug were still there. "But all these memories keep demanding my attention…. Rei… something's happening to you… and I can't put my finger on what. I hope you're ok."

For a time, Shinji thought that he was getting though to the 1st child. Indeed, he'd even managed to get her to smile a few other times when he was with her. She seemed so familiar to him and he had to learn more, but this was not love and he knew it. Well, perhaps it was love but certainly not the same love he felt for Mayumi. She felt like a sister to him, and as such he wasn't blind to the changes in her….

"_Rei, are you alright?" he asked. It was a few days after he rescued her from her plug after Operation Yashima. She seemed to be a bit off. Of course it could have been the shock of having him and Mayumi show up to clean her apartment but something was definitely off about her._

"_I am well," was all she replied. Even Mayumi seemed to notice it though. Something wasn't right. She seemed even more aware of her surroundings, almost as if she were constantly on guard…_

"Father," he whispered in is plug as his hand clenched and unclenched… a nervous habit he's had all his life. "What are you doing to her?"

"What was Shinji?" came Maya's voice over the radio. He looked up and saw the young tech's face appear on his screen.

"Nothing," he replied calmly. "I'm all set here." He reached over and grabbed the rifle and set it into position. Carefully, he attached the cables to the weapon and extended the bi-pod before lying next to it in position. The sniper's nest was raised at a bit of an angle as to get a better view of the sky.

"Unit 01 in position," he said over the radio. "Asuka, Rei, what's your status?"

"I'm in position in the east," came Asuka's voice. "I'm armed to the teeth and ready to kick this thing's ass."

"EVA 00 in position," Rei deadpanned.

"Look sharp everyone," came Misato's voice. "Matsushiro reported seeing a brief radar image, so it's a good bet it's on its way down. All unnecessary personnel have evacuated so it's up to us."

"Roger," all three pilots said simultaneously.

"Incoming!" Asuka said a moment later.

Orange bomblets began to rain though the hole in the clouds, smaller pieces of the whole. The pilots could see that the flesh of these globules was already energized and ready to detonate. At that moment, every gun battery and missile launcher in Tokyo-3 pointed skyward and began firing as if attempting to stop an invading airforce. This was pretty close to the truth of it, as the sheer number of bomblets was beyond what even Asuka had assumed.

Wielding two modified Pallet Rifles, she took aim and began to systematically take down what the conventional defenses were unable to hit. Explosions filled the sky as the globules detonated on contact with the shells. Some took out multiple other bombs in the area but others slipped though the explosions to get closer before being taken out.

In the north quadrant, Storm had her hands full. She unleashed rapid bolts of lightning at the veritable cloud of orange that was quickly descending. The conventional defenses where helping immensely to keep the explosive orbs at bay, but it still took nearly all of her concentration to keep the bombs from reaching the ground. Though the cloud of orange death, she watched carefully for Sahaquiel, trying desperately to spot him before he could slip past her.

In the south, Spirit was having an easier time of it. Not nearly as many of the destructive orbs were falling here. That threw up a few flags though… perhaps Sahaquiel was keeping his path clear?

"Storm," she shouted both mentally and physically. "The rain isn't so bad here. I think the angel is going to come down in this area.

Storm on task, she mentally pinged Shinji letting him know and Shinji responded by adjusting his aim.

Suddenly Asuka yelled over the radio, "Got him! Wondergirl, help me triangulate!"

"Roger," Rei responded.

"Positron Rifle at full power," Maya called out.

Shinji watched his screens as a pop-up window in his view revealed the line of sight of both Rei and Asuka's EVAS. He adjusted his vision and looked up, catching sight of the massive form of the angel as it began barreling though the upper atmosphere. Although Shinji's heart was racing he outwardly remained calm.

_I can do this… I can kill this thing…_

Then the real trouble started. One of the main transformers providing electrical power to the Positron Rifle exploded. Shinji looked back in surprise as he saw a few bomblets that fell outside the battle zone strike a few power plants along the route to him causing them to explode in a spectacular fashion. His rifle suddenly registered 0 percent charge.

"Oh no," he whispered.

"We've lost power to the Positron Rifle!" Maya yelled over the radio.

"Damn it!" Misato yelled. "We were so close! How long until impact?"

Shigeru responded, "It's falling at about 124' per second. Current altitude 35,000 feet and falling rapidly. Four minutes, thirty-four seconds until impact! It will cross minimum safe distance in Three Minutes!"

_Shinji! What happened?!_

"_Sahaquiel was one step ahead of us. He took out the power plants nearby. I can't fire!" _He thought back. _"Hey, remember when you said you could jump start the gates outside of NERV when Matariel attacked?"_

_This is different..._

"_I know it is, but you have to try…Mayumi… I believe in you."_

That was all she needed to stir her into action. _Asuka, you and Rei need to adjust your coverage zones, I have to help Shinji._

"Sure," Asuka said sarcastically. "You get to do all the dangerous stuff and I get to play base defense! I'm on it! Wondergirl, shift north north-east four clicks, we gotta cover the north quadrant!"

"Roger," Rei deadpanned.

Storm took off as fast as she could dodging gun fire from below aimed at the bombs above. She expertly weaved though the devastation to get to Shinji, it took her almost 2 minutes to do it.

She landed near the positron rifle as Shinji ejected the useless power cables. Summoning a massive thunderhead above her she raised her left hand to the sky.

"Come on, come on!" she yelled over the thunder. "Shinji's counting on me!"

"Forty seconds to threshold!" Aoba yelled over the radio.

The sky churned above and rumbled as the thunder head darkened. Cold wind began to blow across her form but Storm didn't feel it. Her entire concentration was on the huge cloud and increasing the instability within to trigger the electrical tempest she needed.

"That's it," Storm said triumphantly. A massive stroke of lightning poured into her opened hand from the massive cloud. Pointing her right hand, she quickly pulled the ambient energy still in the rifle to her through the negative lead off the weapon and fired a positively charged bolt into the positive lead. She bled the energy in slowly at first then picked it up as she realized the fuse could handle the load.

Shinji began to take aim as the power meter quickly reached 100%. The aiming reticules began to line up with painstaking slowness as Sahaquiel continued its death dive.

"20 seconds!"

"Come on goddamnit!" he yelled at the machine as it continued to take its time in lining up. Shinji reached up to the targeting computer sitting on his face and made an adjustment. "I have one shot at this. Just one…" He finished the adjustment, then changed his mind and slightly readjusted again.

"_No," he thought to himself. "I should go with my first impulse."_ He changed it once last time.

"10 seconds!"

He watched the orange skin of the creature begin to glow as it approached minimum distance.

"Almost got it," he said over the radio, and then was rewarded with a computer tone indicating a lock. "Smile you son-of-a-bitch!" he yelled as he pulled the trigger. A blast of energy shot out of the rear point of the weapon a fraction of a second before a deadly beam of electric blue issued forth from the barrel of the weapon.

An untold number of bomblets which were near the beam when it passed detonated from the residual energy, highlighting the beam's path with a chain of explosions. Sahaquiel didn't even have enough time to scream as the particle stream punched though his AT Field as if it were the Lance of Longinus. The deadly stream of electronics shot straight through the core, destroying it instantly. As it passed though the other side, it cut though the already converted flesh beyond causing the angel to detonate in a dramatic fassion. Flames and energy radiated for 10,000 feet around it lingering for a few minutes before fading away.

Ground zero was a hill just outside the city proper… It was leveled in the explosion but little beyond it was touched. A cruel wind blew across the countryside in all directions but little more than a few signs were blown down along with a few weakened tree branches.

"Target detonated at 10,470 feet," Maya reported. "No major damage reported from the ground."

"We've reestablished contact with the orbital satellites," Aoba reported.

"We did it!" Misato called out gleefully.

Shigeru looked up from his station. "Less than 1% of the bomblets reached the ground, damage to the city is minimal. Backup stations are already rerouting power to Tokyo-3."

"Good work," Misato said with a smile. "All of you."

At the sniper station, Mayumi realizing they'd won suddenly felt very weak. She had given almost everything she had and everything she could squeeze out of the skies above to power the rifle that destroyed Sahaquiel.

"_Mayumi?" _Shinji whispered to her mentally.

_I'll be okay Shinji… I just need to rest. Spirit is coming to take me home._

"_I couldn't have done it without you."_

She smiled. "Always glad to help," she whispered both in and out of her mind.

* * *

Several hours later, Misato was still at NERV picking up the pieces left in the wake of this latest angel attack. In her office she sighed heavily, she was really tired. She looked to her computer as she noticed a blinking light requesting her attention. She hit the button and a pop up revealed the face of Commander Gendo Ikari with the Sub-Commander behind him.

"Sir," she said immediately.

"I understand there was an Angel attack," he said flatly.

"Yes sir. It's been taken care of. There was minimal damage to the city."

"We know Captain," Fuyutsuki replied. "Your performance was exemplary, worthy of praise in the highest order."

"Thank you sir," she replied.

"Indeed," Gendo resumed, "I am very pleased with you Captain. And its time you reaped the rewards of your hard work. I trust the clean up is going smoothly?"

"Of course sir," she replied confidently. "I only wish there was a part of the angel left to study, but its nature prevented us from retrieving any part of it."

"It is of little concern," Gendo replied. "I leave the rest in your more than capable hands. Well done… Major."

Misato's heart just skipped a beat. She knew Gendo was not making a mistake… he was promoting her. "Thank you sir!" At that, the window closed. "Well, I guess The Commander does reward loyalty after all." She smiled as she thought about the raise in her paygrade. Though she knew more responsibility was going to be thrust onto her, she didn't care. "This calls for a celebration. I'm gonna party like is 2099."

* * *

Antartica… North of what was left of the Ross Ice Shelf…

Commander Gendo von Doom shut down the communications program. "I wonder if she'll remain loyal after she sees NERV's new objective?" he mused.

"Honestly I doubt it," Kozo replied. "Her motivations are simple… she wants to kill the angels. Anything beyond that wouldn't even be on her radar."

"That is unfortunate," he replied. "I would prefer not to have to subvert her like I did Akagi."

"What exactly did you do to her?"

"I injected a device into her chest. The device is a nanite hive that keeps her synapses in line. Try not to think about it too much Sensei."

Kozo frowned. "Yui would not approve of your actions my old student."

"Perhaps not, but it matters little. For now we have an objective to complete."

"Lancea Longini," Kozo whispered.

"There are many secrets that weapon holds. The f-LS is not perfected and there is much I can do to rectify that inequity."

"Do you think SEELE expects treachery?"

"They always suspect Sensei," he replied. "In time in won't matter."

"No, I suppose it won't." He said, remembering the plan to destroy the counsel. Kaji had reported in an hour ago saying that 3 more were located. That makes 5 known and 7 still to locate.

"You still don't support me completely do you?"

Kozo straightened. "Isn't that obvious? I am still loyal to you, regardless." _At least until I can find a way to stop you Ikari._

"That is reassuring," he said with a sinister smile. "But don't harbor any ideals of treachery… they will be dealt with, most severely."

Kozo knew that was not an idle threat.

* * *

**End of Chapter XII**

* * *

**A/N:** I'm actually kind of surprised I managed to pump out yet another chapter this soon. Just got the writing bug again I guess. I hope it lasts this time.

**Mike313:** Thanks. I hope I get a new one soon. In the meantime, enjoy the story. And like I said in the PM, I really didn't think of that. Guess I'm out of practice a bit.

**The Wandering Soul of 1014:** Like I said in the PM, there is some chance of that and though I put the odds kind of small, it is far larger than it was the start of this story. I'm currently struggling with it, but since I mentioned that Lilith is not entirely idle… perhaps there is hope yet eh? I am loathe to place too many Superwomen in this story, mostly because when the collab work is finally created, we'll likely see lots of different team ups, and I am desperately trying not to over complicate things. As it is, I went a little overboard with the Dark Storm Saga (Chapters 8, 9 and 10) by introducing Blackheart as a possible recurring villain. As we've seen from other comic books though, there is never a shortage of villains….

See you next chapter


	13. Storm of Fear

**Tempest Aterna**

**XIII: Storm of Fear**

* * *

**5 Days After the Ninth Angel's Attack**

Gendo Von Doom stood in his office looking out over the Geofront patiently waiting for his incoming expected, yet uninvited guest. He knew "she" was coming… likely already here, and that was not a thought he liked. If he were to continue his mad schemes for power, he had to make sure that Iruel was not successful in her mission. He checked his watch and knew that at this time, the pilots would be beginning their special sync test with the simulation bodies. It was likely that Iruel would initially target the Pribnow Box as her point of appearance as she could easily affect other systems from there, and the environment within the box itself would fuel her initial evolution.

Gendo had planned for this of course, but even he did not know if the new weapons and devices would be enough to give him the edge he needed against an Angel that could evolve insanely fast. He simply had to hope that he had in fact planned for every contingency, because he had little in the way of backup. No superwoman could penetrate his fortress here within The Geofront, so even if he wanted to let them handle it, he could not do so. But this didn't concern him, he had the numerous resources of NERV at his disposal, a small army of personnel, and Ritsuko Akagi as his trump cards. He simply had to succeed… his goals depended on it.

As he began to don his hateful armor and check his systems, he felt the approach of the Angel though the Æther to arrive on target. He allowed himself a slight upturn of his lips, as if the entire event would be as amusing as it would be difficult.

"Alright Iruel," he whispered to himself. "Let's see what you're made of."

* * *

Of all the things Mayumi could do in a day, she never figured that she would actually enjoy washing a floor. With Shinji and Asuka doing special testing in NERV today, she was left to her own devices, and decided that she would be damned if she was going to let her boyfriend be the sole housekeeper. While Misato seemed content to leave much of the chores to him, she didn't agree with that idea, even if he was really good at all of it. So she decided she would take some of the burden upon herself. The idea that she was dong something constructive with her time here at the Katsuragi residence also brought her a bit of happiness.

Ever since her encounters in Tokyo-2, Mayumi had had nothing but sorrow handed to her; her mother's death at the hands of Exodus, her near death at the hands of Doctor Doom, her subsequent corruption by Blackheart and 2 particularly difficult battles with two of her 'relatives'. So a nice relaxing day of housework seemed like such a small thing in comparison. But this was not the only reason she enjoyed what she was doing.

Though she it was hard to admit it, she liked the idea of being a housekeeper… it was something she could do for Shinji that wasn't a violent, destructive act. It was something nice, something that made her feel good inside. Someday they would be old enough to further their relationship, perhaps even get married… and then she would be doing this for him while he worked in a normal job with normal people and normal problems. It was something that seemed like a dream to her… normality.

When she shared her tender time with Shinji after she recovered from her corruption, she had felt the human side of her begin to reassert itself and slow the evolution of her body to the point of stopping it completely. Though she knew there was still a danger that her S2 organ would eventually reassert it superiority over her human DNA, she felt less apprehensive about it. For the time being, she could at least try to act like a normal girl with normal problems, instead of a supercharged half-angel with the power to control the very environment around her.

Just when she thought the day could not possibly turn out bad, the Angel Alarms began to blare loudly, demanding the complete and undivided attention of the masses of Tokyo-3.

"That figures," she whispered to herself and threw her senses outwards. Though she knew the next angel would be Iruel, the Angel of Terror, she did not know what form it would take or how it would attack. What was scaring her though, was that she couldn't sense it at all… like there was nothing coming.

"Iruel," she whispered. "Where are you?"

A thousand voices assailed her, like a mass of women all speaking simultaneously. It was enough to make her grab her head in pain.

_**We are here Ramiel… we are already inside...**_

Mayumi's hear skipped a beat as she suddenly felt fear from her link with Shinji. She gasped as she realized that somehow Iruel made it inside The Geofront already and was beginning her attack.

"Oh no," she whispered. "Shinji!" She ran to her room and started stripping her clothing off.

_**All shall be consumed… all shall become one… **_

"No!" She yelled out. "You can't take him from me!"

_**Your pain is irrelevant…**_

"I'll show you irrelevant," she threatened as quickly changed into her costume. "I'll destroy you." As she flew out the window she stayed low to the ground and kept her power level down. She had to find an access point into NERV somehow and quickly.

But just when she managed to locate one from memory she felt another angelic presence nearby.

"Two?!" she cried in barely contained fear. Then she realized that this one was all too familiar to her. "Oh no… not now."

"Yes, now," came the angry voice of Exodus from above as he unleashed a powerful ray of energy from his right hand aimed at her. Storm quickly dodged this and tried to get her bearings. "I owe you for the humiliation you handed me over Tokyo-2, and my orders were to deal with you."

"Orders?" Storm yelled angerly. "Why are you working with Doctor Doom?" Storm clouds began to cover the sky as she dropped her stealth for raw power. "You don't seem the type to take orders to me."

"That's none of your concern Nephilim," he yelled back as his aura began to glow a rich golden color. "You're only concern should be how much pain you'll be in before I kill you!"

"We've done this dance before Exodus… I'm stronger than you."

Exodus teleported a moment later. Mayumi turned trying to lock on to his location but for some reason, he wasn't as easy to locate this time. Forced to dodge a bolt of angelic power she began to realize that he had in fact become stronger now. Apparently the old adage 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' was quite true in his case.

She had her work cut out for her.

* * *

Within the bowels of NERV, all hell was breaking loose. Ritusko had tried to neutralize what appeared to be a patch of growing corrosion in the Pribnow Box only to find out it was not only not corrosion, but in fact an Angel. She tried everything she could think of to slow its assault, even going so far as to use ozone to kill it, only to find that it evolved to adapt to the environment and was now drawing strength from it.

A voice in her mind snapped her out of her thoughts. "Doctor Akagi, have your personnel evacuate the bridge. You and I will deal with this problem ourselves.

"Yes Doctor," she whispered.

"What was that Sempai?" came the voice of Maya.

"Get everyone out of here," she responded immediately. "If the Angel reaches the MAGI, it could attempt to destroy the facility."

"But Sempai!" she protested. She had turned away from her console to bring up her apprehension when the terminal suddenly exploded. Iruel lashed out at the systems connected to the MAGI attempting to isolate them away from the rest of the system. The shrapnel and electrical shock that issued forth tore into Maya's small body throwing her into Ritusko, who caught her and managed to stay on her feet.

"Maya!" she cried. It was the first major emotion to break through since Doom subverted her. "Oh god no…"

The rest of the personnel quickly leapt away from their stations as other computers on the bridge began to explode.

"Didn't you hear me?!" Ritsuko yelled. "Get out now!"

Without further delay or complaint, they ran out in a hurry. Ritsuko laid Maya down on the ground, her small body trembling from blood loss and pain. She knew the girl probably didn't have long to live.

"Maya," Ritusko whispered, stroking the girl's hair. "I'm so sorry."

"Sem…pai…" the tech whispered.

Just then, Doctor Doom entered the bridge. He took a look at Maya lying there and sighed. "Oh, this simply will not do," he whispered.

Ritusko looked up at Doom as he approached. From the pointer finger of his left gauntlet a set of 3 needles appeared. He jabbed them into the side of Maya's neck. She squirmed a moment as something was pumped into her. Instantly, the blood stopped flowing and her wounds appeared to be repairing themselves.

"How?" was all a stunned Ritsuko could say.

"I injected her with some of the nanites I was planning to use against Iruel. They're repairing her body. She'll recover given enough time… I can't afford to loose such an important asset. Now Doctor, I'd like you to get inside the MAGI and set a little trap for our uninvited guest."

* * *

Exodus continued his assault on Storm as best he could, though Storm was still quite a bit faster than him. However the barrage of attacks and nearly constant rain of energy bolts and rays kept her on the defensive. At this rate it wouldn't be long before she made a mistake, and he would capitalize on her failure… this time, he would have his revenge.

While he thought this, Storm had her own ideas on what to do. This combat was sure to attract the attention of Spirit… and that would even up the odds. For the moment, she was busy analyzing his attack patterns as she continued to avoid the energy assault and the attempts to catch her in a bloody melee.

"This is getting tiring Storm," Exodus called out as she ducked behind another building. He applied telekinetic pressure to the base of the building in an attempt to get it to fall down upon her. "Hold still so I can kill you."

He watched as the building collapsed upon where he last saw Storm. The building literally looked like it split in half as it came down and saw that Storm was protecting herself with her magnetic AT Field. Her arms were crossed and her face held a look of annoyance.

"This is getting old Exodus," she yelled out. As she returned fire with two massive strokes of lightning aimed directly for him. Both of the bolts predictably were stopped by his AT Field. "Why don't you tell me what it is that Doctor Doom has over you? I know you're not working for him willingly."

"It's none of your concern half-breed! It's not like I need a reason to kill you. You've done nothing but interfere in the affairs of your true family ever since you awakened. I'm dealing with you once and for all."

"That's my line," she snapped. "You killed my mother! I owe you pain. But sadly I don't have time for this."

"I'm not giving you a choice in the…" Exodus was suddenly blindsided by an angelic blast. His AT Field was up giving him protection from the blast but it still hurt like hell. As he turned, he saw just who he figured he'd see."

"Storm!" Spirit yelled out. "What's going on?"

"I don't have time to explain. I need you to keep Exodus occupied, Shinji is in trouble!"

"Go!"

Exodus grumbled. "Always with the interruptions!" He tried to make a B-Line for Storm only to get slammed in the middle of the back by a sudden sharp dive made by Spirit directly into his back.

Storm saw her opportunity and took off, finding the access door she located earlier.

* * *

Inside NERV, Akagi was quickly working on the trap Doctor Doom wanted created inside the MAGI. She had already crawled up inside of Casper and was busy making the proper adjustments to the super computer. She knew that she didn't have a lot of time, but she did take a few seconds to recheck her calculations and coding. Every so often she would glance back out towards the crawlspace out, expecting or rather hoping to see the smiling face of Maya at the entryway ready to offer help.

But she knew this was not to be. The exploding computer terminal tore her up pretty bad, and if it wasn't for quick thinking on the part of Doctor Doom, she would likely be dead. Her thoughts of Maya were running counter to what was programmed into her brain, and even now, she began questioning her loyalty to the madman. As soon as she did so, the nanties within her body reasserted themselves and she was back on task, thinking nothing of the girl lying comatose on the floor of the bridge.

The pilots had long since been ejected into Lake Ashi to keep them safe. It was obvious though, that Iruel was not interested in them, only the computer systems within NERV. It continued to grow and multiply, eventually beginning its assault on Balthasar. It progress was quickly arrested by the sudden and unexpected retaliation from within that supercomputer by billions of nanites created by Doctor Doom. What resulted was an epic battle on a microscopic scale. Frustrated and annoyed, Iruel looked for another way to get though this virtual armada.

Doom was standing on the bridge with his arms crossed, waiting. He had moved Maya into a nearby room where she could be more comfortable and returned here in time to see the floorboards in the bridge begin to crack and split. Iruel was made up of a simply uncountable number of nano-creatures now, and it wouldn't be stopped by a single army of nanites, no matter how well designed they were. A mass of amorphous grey suddenly shot into the air from the broken floor forming into a shape that looked almost like a smaller version of an Eva.

"'Welcome to my parlor' said the spider to the fly," Doom mused.

_**All shall be consumed…**_

"No, it won't."

The shape turned towards him and it's 'eyes' glowed red.

_**Usurper….**_

"Why does everyone get my name wrong?" he complained. "It's Doom… not god, not Usurper, not Jesus… just Doom. You'd think everyone would have gotten the memo by now."

_**Usurper of Adam, we will destroy you. From your remains we shall bring the end… All shall be consumed…**_

"For being one of the most fascinating and unusual of the angels, you certainly have a one-track mind."

A massive arm from the grey mass of Iruel lashed towards him. Doom levitated straight up using his momentum jets to propel him away from the creature as it moved forward to compensate for its initial failure, it was quickly driven back by a spray of liquid nitrogen that froze a chunk of its body causing it to fall to the bridge floor and shatter. Individual nano-pieces of Iruel died instantly as the spray contained heavier lead particles that dragged the micro sized parts of Iruel down to the ground fast enough to destroy them on impact despite their virtual lack of weight.

Doom threw up his ultra powerful AT Field granted to him by his absorption of Adam and neutralized every micro AT Field Iruel could generate. He unleashed focused beams of high energy though his fingertips into Iruel, carefully destroying it little by little while trying to minimize damage to the bridge. Iruel countered by multiplying faster and toughening her resistance to the intense energy. Soon Doom's attacks were worthless… so he switched to a focused burst of EMP which quickly wiped out a large portion of its mass.

Doom knew this too would quickly become ineffective but he wasn't trying to destroy Iruel. He was buying time for Akagi, slowing down Iruel's corruption of the MAGI with an attack on two fronts. As successful as he has been so far, he knew it was only a matter of time before he did not have any more toys that would work on this monster.

* * *

Outside, Spirit had her hands full with Exodus. Using speed to her advantage she would dart in and out, kicking or punching when able while dodging flying objects and energy blasts with ease.

"I thought you were better than this?" Spirit called out. "So far you've proven to be an exercise in aerial aerobics. Guess I can skip my pilates class this week."

"You dare mock me you insignificant wench!" Exodus yelled back and sent three iron girders at her. Though Spirit dodged two of them, the third came from a completely unexpected angle, directly behind her. It slammed into the middle of her back knocking her forward. She didn't even have time to recover as Exodus flew into her at full speed planting his right knee into her stomach.

Blood shot out of Spirit's mouth as she tried to cry out in pain only to be stopped by internal bleeding. She decided that once she recovered from this, he would be the next one to feel pain.

Exodus brought his hands up in clenched fists, intending to slam her in the middle of her back only to have his jaw slammed by the back of Spirit's head as she shot back upright again. The pain momentarily blinded him and gave Spirit enough time to plant several heavy hits into his stomach and chest. With an uppercut she knocked him further into the air then teleported directly behind him as he ascended. She wrapped her arms around his stomach, flipped him upside down in mid air and dove towards the ground, spinning in a rough interpretation of a wrestling move she saw on an American sports channel once.

Exodus reeled from the impact as his spine felt like it was just compacted. Spirit stretched out one leg and did a half flip back to her feet as Exodus' body hit the ground face first. As he tried to get back up again, she kicked his side launching him into the air then pulled her arms back and charged up a Halo Wave.

But after it was launched, Exodus managed to recover finally and barely managed to dodge the wave with a side spin. The wave passed so close to his face that he felt the heat off of it. In the same spin he unleashed two massive blasts of angelic power directly at Spirit.

The explosion was visible for miles as a massive cross-shaped blast. When the dust cleared Exodus saw that he failed to hurt her. She had metalized her wings and used them as a shield from the blast. As the metal fell from her feathery wings in pieces she stood up and smiled.

"Looks like my Steel Wings technique never stops being useful," she said in almost a chuckle.

"Not even a scratch huh?" Exodus growled. "We'll be at this all day."

"My calendar's clear," she shot back. The launched herself up into the air flying right towards him. His eyes flashed but Spirit had seen this technique before and teleported before the air erupted around her in a blast of white energy. When she reappeared she delivered a blast of angelic power into the middle of Exodus' back.

"You're getting quite bothersome," he complained. "I think it's time I killed you and got on with my life." His golden bracers began to slide open near the cuffs on the underside. "Here's a little gift I got from Doctor Doom. I think you should have it!" As he spoke three f-LS blades slid out into his waiting hands. He punctuated the word 'have' by throwing them with as much force as he could, using telekinesis to guide them to the target.

Spirit wasn't expecting them to travel so fast and was hit with all six of them; two penetrated her wings at the joints, two into her shoulders and two into her lower stomach. The pain of having the blades pierce her made her cry out as she suddenly lost control over her flight, falling 200' hitting the edge of a rooftop before continuing to fall over fifty stories down. A small compact car was reduced to scrap when she impacted.

* * *

Inside NERV, Storm arrived on the bridge in time to see another section of Iruel blown apart by Doctor Doom. The massive form of grey goo shifted as it reasserted itself, then launched a claw at him which was easily dodged.

"What the hell?" was all Storm could say.

_**You will meet your end Usurper…**_

"If only you understood just how tired I am of hearing you call me that," Doom deadpanned.

Now here was a fix. Storm saw that Doom was attempting to destroy Iruel… which meant he was doing mankind a favor… or was he. He did send Exodus to kill her but then why would he do that if this battle was so difficult for someone as powerful as him… unless Exodus was acting without orders.

"I do not know how you got down here," Doom yelled at her, "but while you are, why don't you make yourself useful."

"Why should I? you tried to kill me, remember?"

"I do not need to be reminded of my own goals. For the moment our current aims are in parallel." He dodged another attempt to swipe at him.

"I don't trust you."

"Nor I you," he replied. "At the moment, my options are limited. Doctor Akagi is in the final stages of completing her mission which will finish our issues here, however she needs more time… or would you prefer Third Impact over helping your arch-nemesis save the world?"

Storm frowned. "I really hate it when you make sense."

Storm raised her hands and suddenly lowered the temperature on the bridge. Iruel lashed out at her but as soon as the nanites got close they froze over and were unable to do anything other than fall and shatter.

An alarm starting blaring over the battle and Doom observed that two of the three MAGI were completely corrupted by Iruel. As soon as she managed to corrupt the last one, she would activate the auto-destruct sequence and destroy the Geofront… and most of Tokyo-3 with it.

Storm could read the main screen just fine and knew she was running out of time. Summoning up Ymir's Frost, she iced over much of the exposed parts of Iruel as it tried to get to her, but Iruel was adapting to the cold and getting closer with every attempted attack.

Doom fired a set of rockets into the frozen base of Iruel shattering the frozen section of the Angel and slowing down its advance. He turned to the screen and saw that the corruption of Casper was now at 99%.

"Akagi," he yelled. "Will you please kill this thing?"

"Yes Doctor," she called out and input the final sequence.

What happened next took less than a second. The program was introduced into Casper which Iruel determined to be some form of defensive program and instantly absorbed it into itself. The moment the script was executed, Iruel began to evolve out of control, its functioning driven beyond the levels of normal technology or even the strange techno-organic nature of the angel itself. Signals were interpreted and received at rates beyond imagining, and commands sent into the MAGI too fast for the computer to translate. Iruel tried to slow it down but found it could not reverse its own evolution. For less than a hundredth of a second, Iruel's consciousness was pushed to godlike levels before the final phase of evolution was reached… extinction. Iruel had not even the time to comment on its abysmal failure to achieve its goals before the death protocol was executed as if on instinct.

With a crash, the remaining part of Iruel's 'body' collapsed and disintegrated, leaving little traces behind. Storm stopped what she was doing and glared at Doctor Doom now with intent to punish.

"Why did you send Exodus after me? I thought you would want the pleasure of killing me yourself."

"I do," he replied. Then she heard a growl come from behind the skull-like mask. "So, Exodus took it upon himself to act without orders… I'll deal with him myself. In the meantime, I'm feeling particularly generous today."

"How so?" Storm asked carefully.

"You and I both know that you do not stand at chance against me. I do desire your demise, however you have assisted me in dealing with this pest, therefore I'm inclined to let your live… for now."

"Where's Pilot Ikari?" she asked.

"Is that why you came all this way? Well, I can't say I'm surprised… Miss Yamagishi."

Her heart skipped a beat. "You absorbed Adam's knowledge I see."

"Indeed. Did you think I wouldn't?" He chuckled evily. "I killed Adam and absorbed his body into me… His power is mine, which is why you can not hope to defeat me."

On some level, Storm realized he wasn't bluffing… his boast was true.

"I see the wheels beginning to turn in that head of yours," he commented. "You are not a foolish girl… which is why I find you so entertaining. Pilot Ikari along with the others were doing a special synchronization test as you well know. They were ejected into Lake Ashi. You'll find them there. It may be some time before the recovery teams arrive on site so if you wish to see him, you'll have plenty of time. Now get out of my domain… you have officially overstayed your welcome."

"Nothing would give me more pleasure," she deadpanned and flew out of the bridge.

* * *

Exodus laughed manically as she landed near the smoldering wreck of the vehicle Spirit impacted on.

"Well well well," he mused. "My, you made quite an impression, didn't you?" He laughed aloud as he punched into the wreck and extracted Spirit's limp form from the car. Pulling his hand back he began to wrap his AT Field around it.

"Time to die," he said aloud and pulled his hand back. But something slipped his mind, He launched six f-LS blades into Spirit, but as he pulled her up, he failed to notice that only five were still in her. Before he could complete his action Spirit's eyes opened and she made her move.

Exodus cried out in extreme agony as one of the blades pierced his chest. With no actual tangs on the blades themselves, Spirit's left hand was dripping blood as it pushed the blade further in until it met something hard… then kept pushing.

Exodus dropped her and stumbled back. She lost her grip on the blade as he did so and fell to her knees. As Exodus stumbled trying to grip the blade, she pulled the other blade that was in her chest out and tossed it away. When Exodus stopped struggling, he collapsed onto the street on all fours.

"You've lost," she whispered. "Just consider yourself lucky I can't kill you."

"This… is not… over," he struggled out. "I'll kill you for this… Spirit… Mark my words…" He managed to get himself back to his feet.

"Empty threats don't scare me."

Exodus growled once more before he used the last of his strength to teleport away.

She sighed as the rain began to fall in earnest. "I hope that means we've won." She looked at the four remaining blades in her body and cringed at the idea of ripping them out. "This is going to be very painful."

* * *

Shinji sat on the edge of his floating plug, wrapped up in Storm's cloak. He felt the rain wash over him, but he'd never felt more dirty in his life. His connection with Storm had been growing for a while now, and now he could actually hear her thoughts, and her his. Storm's thoughts betrayed her… the incident with Doctor Doom was still fresh in her mind.

"So that's exactly what he said?" he asked again, as if trying to disbelieve what he heard and saw.

"Yes," Storm replied. "He said those words specifically. He called NERV HQ 'his' domain."

"I can't believe it," he whispered. "I had reasons to hate him before… but now I have another reason…"

"I find it hard to believe he would slip like that, unless he simply doesn't care."

"Who would we tell? My father has complete control over one of the most powerful institutions in the world. Now he's absorbed Adam, which made him into the monster we have come to know as Doctor Doom. Who would believe us?"

Mayumi sighed as the rain continued to fall around them. "There is no one that would believe us. I've been branded a vigilante and a criminal in this city as well as all of Japan… read that on the internet this morning… so no one would believe me. Your identity as the Third Child of NERV has been kept secret from the rest of the world so no one would have reason to believe you either."

"Exactly," he replied. "It makes me wonder… wonder if I wouldn't become a monster too if the same thing happened to me…"

"Don't ever think like that," she replied as she held Shinji close to her. "You're fath… Doctor Doom, was a monster before he ever looked like one. You're nothing like him… do you hear me? Nothing like him at all."

Shinji leaned into her taking in the warmth of her body and the comfort offered to him. "Thank you," he whispered, though he still couldn't stop his tears. Deep down inside him was a child… one that was left behind… that wanted nothing more than to be accepted by the parental figure he had left… but he was abandoned. Never-the-less, he wanted acceptance, and deep down he thought he was close to getting it. Now, any hope of that was dashed, because his father had become the very thing he was brought to this city to destroy.

And so the child wept….

* * *

Deep within NERV HQ, Maya's sleeping form twitched slightly as a few left over nanites from Iruel began to awaken within her….

* * *

**End of Chapter 13**

* * *

**A/N:** I still own nothing.

**Orionpax09:** Easy enough… and she still might have her chance in this story arch. Gendo become Doctor Doom actually had a lot to do with a poll I put up on my profile a while back asking the readers who they thought would be the best match for Gendo as far as villians. While I agree with you, I decided ultimately that I would go with the popular vote. Not to mention I really like Doctor Doom.

BTW, I love your depiction of King Pin in 'Treacherous Web'.

**Mike313:** You too huh? I thought at first it was a little cheesy but it fit the story. As far as the clones… well he might not have thousands yet but it's only a matter of time. He is after world domination after all….

**The Wandering Soul of 1014:** I might allow her an appearance at the end but I don't know yet.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** The Leliel Saga Begins


	14. Lost in the Maelstrom, Part I

**Tempest Aterna**

**XIV: Lost in the Maelstrom, Part I**

* * *

Darkness crept into the office of Gendo Von Doom as he waited for his special inspector to show himself. The thought that Exodus had acted without orders infuriated him, though that was not visible on his face at all. Instead the normally neutral and uncaring façade of the man formerly known as Gendo Ikari was displayed for any who would care to enter his office to see for themselves. His annoyance knew no bounds however… his plans required that every step proceed in a clockwork fashion, therefore Exodus's actions only served to hamper those aims.

As he thought of how best to deal with this problem, his office door opened revealing the still pained man known as Kaji. The f-LS blade that damaged his core was long since discarded, and he wondered inwardly if the device Doctor Doom put inside of him was damaged by the attack.

"You wanted to see me Doctor," he managed.

"Yes I did Exodus," he responded. "I have a certain grievance I need to address with your recent performance against the Superwomen."

"They're proving more resilient then I anticipated," he answered immediately. "Spirit in particular is becoming quite the cunning warrior."

"It is not your combat effectiveness that concerns me Exodus," he said plainly. "Yesterday, you attacked Storm in an attempt to kill her and you failed in that attempt."

Kaji frowned. "I'm trying."

"That is not what concerns me… as I said. Do try to pay attention. There are three things I refuse to tolerate; Failure, Insubordination and Loose Cannons. While I gave you no orders not to attack Storm, I do not recall ever giving you orders to attack her when you saw fit to do so."

Kaji growled slightly. "You expect me to just take my past beatings lying down? You must be joking! These Nephilim have gone too far! They constantly defy you and me. I will kill them… regardless of what it may take to do so."

If Gendo showed any outward signs of annoyance at his continued ramblings, he didn't show it.

"You know who Storm is and what she is capable of! Her mother is dead so she has to be staying at the Katsuragi residence given her connection to your son right? Why not just eliminate her now?"

"Because I do not wish her dead just yet," he answered immediately. "I have plans that involve her… and it seems she is doing me a favor by helping to eliminate The Angels. While she continues to do so, even given her false hope of restoring peace by non-violent means, she is of no direct threat to me. Spirit seems content to try to help her in any way she deems necessary. While The Committee is not pleased by their interference I've managed to convince them that for the time being, our position as guardians of the world is not threatened. Therefore, at least for the time being, no action should be taken against them. Do I make myself clear Exodus?"

Kaji held his tongue. He wanted to yell and scream at the unfairness of it all. How dare these cretins be allowed to live after the humiliation he's been put though!

"Fine," he growled. "Don't expect me to be happy about this."

"I don't care one way or another." Gendo then stood up glaring daggers at him from behind his glasses. "However… there is still the matter of you taking maters into your own hands."

"And?"

"And… I will not tolerate this." Without pushing a button or making any visible sign that he was going to do so, Kaji felt the pain in his chest increase a hundred fold. Not only was the device undamaged in the attack, but it was working better than he thought it would. He felt his core cracking under the pressure.

A scream unlike any ever heard inside of NERV tore from his lungs, though no one outside the office would be privy to this as Gendo's office was soundproofed against such noise. Kaji hit the ground hard and writhed in pain as a small shard of f-LS was forcibly pushed into his core. Before the penetration became lethal, it tore itself back out again leaving Kaji to breathe hard and try to keep himself from retching due to nerve feedback.

"That is the one and only warning I am giving you Exodus," Gendo said calmly. "Disobey me, fail me, or act without my authorization again, and the next time the device is activated, it will not stop until you are dead. Do I make myself clear?"

Kaji couldn't respond…the pain was unbearable and stole his ability to breathe any way but shallow. He was only able to force a small nod.

"Good. Then there is nothing further. Feel free to drag yourself out of my office the moment you are able." Gendo then sat back down and went about his business, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there was a man still in a great deal of pain on the floor of his office.

Kaji only had one thought go though his head. He would find a way to get this device out of him… then kill Ikari himself, if he could only figure out how….

* * *

Misato had seen her fair share of tragedies in her day, though the news that Gendo was Doctor Doom and the subsequent shattering of her ward was definitely somewhere high up in her top ten list. No amount of brew could calm her own nerves as she struggled with the idea that she was working for a madman… one with unknown aims and designs, that was capable of god only knows what.

But she was in too deep now. Her recent promotion gave her plenty of new responsibilities and much higher pay, neither of which could be easily ignored, especially if she wanted to fulfill her desires for revenge against The Angels.

"I can get out of this when it's over," she told herself. "I can hold on until then… Storm and Spirit will find a way to stop him from doing whatever it is he is planning and then I can go on with my life. But how can I do it? How can I continue to work for the man who almost killed the most important thing in Shinji's life right now?"

"Because we all have little choice," came the voice of Mayumi.

Misato turned towards the girl standing in the doorway to the kitchen… the young girl with the cardigan sweater, the straight hair, nerdy glasses and mole on her face… the plain looking girl whom inside was half of everything she hated and nothing like them in any way shape or form. Most importantly, she was the girl who was keeping her Shinji sane.

"Any change?" she asked tentatively.

"No," Mayumi replied, almost sounding defeated. "He seems stable when he's around me, but through our link I can see that he's still trying to struggle with this as much as you are… likely more so."

"I… I hate to sound so callous… but do you think this will affect his piloting?"

Mayumi sighed. "I don't know. Likely if that depends on mental stability. He's sleeping soundly now, but he's a mess. I wish I could have blocked out the link before I learned of the truth behind Doom… but there was no way… and I don't think I could have held that from him anyway, even if I wanted to."

Misato frowned. "Sorry to ask such a bad question… but if another angel comes… I want to know he'll still be able to fight."

"He'll fight," Mayumi said with certainty. "If I know him at all, and I feel I know him quite well, he will fight. Just like I'll keep fighting… and Spirit will keep fighting… and you will keep fighting…."

* * *

A day later, Gendo entered Ritsuko's lab with a look of slight annoyance on his face.

"Where is Lieutenant Ibuki?" he demanded.

"I sent her home Doctor," Ritusko replied immediately. "She was still unwell from her experience two days ago… I'm afraid she still hasn't recovered."

"I see. Can the rest of the bridge technicians handle the extra workload?"

"They can." She looked up from her computer. "I never thanked you for saving her life."

"I did what was necessary," he answered. He was a little confused at first as to why she was acting with more emotion that was expected considering he 'readjusted' her. But quickly, the answer was staring him in the face. Love is a powerful emotion, and though he wasn't sure if Ritsuko was having an alternative relationship with the young tech or not (likely not), he knew that even if this was not the case, she still had strong feelings for her. That was as clear as day to any who could recognize the signs and even his programming couldn't wipe that out of her mind.

But he knew that this was not enough to undo what he had done to her and that she was still loyal to him. That was all that mattered.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Ristuko asked.

"No Doctor," he replied.

As he left, Ritsuko watched him go. She felt her loyalty to him, an almost constant reminder in her own brain, beginning to become flawed. Being privy to his activies, she knew what was happening was wrong., but no matter what she did, she couldn't voice her opinion, tell another soul or act against him. Ritsuko tried to recall when she started feeling this way but could grasp a single memory beyond her own loyalty.

Something wasn't right but she didn't know how to deal with it…

* * *

Three days later, the pilots gathered at NERV for a new Sync Test. After spending several hours in the plugs, the test was over and Misato sighed heavily.

"Shinji-kun," she began softly, "your Sync ratio dropped nine points. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine Misato-san," he deadpanned. "I'll try harder next time."

She sighed as the radio clicked off. Ritusko looked at her friend with concern on her face.

"Is he having problems at home?" Ritsuko asked.

"What are you trying to say?" Misato almost shouted back. Ritsuko actually took a step back.

"My apologies Major, I didn't meant to offend, nor was I trying to imply that something was wrong that you were responsible for."

Misato's face softened. "Eh… sorry Rits… I didn't mean to blow up on you like that. It's just… he seems so… depressed."

"That is unfortunate, is there anything I can do?"

"No," she whispered. "It's something I need to deal with." Her thoughts immediately turned towards Gendo Ikari, commander of NERV and also, now known to her, Doctor Doom.

She wasn't sure if she could continue to work for him like nothing was wrong…

* * *

In the hallway between the locker rooms, Shinji leaned his back against the wall. Still clad in his plug suit, he began to stare at his right hand. He squeezed it closed as if trying to grip something that was invisible and opened it again. Repeating the action his eyes grew harder. His mind kept going over what he saw though the eyes of Mayumi and came to the same conclusion every time.

"_I have to stop him… somehow. But how can I do that? I'm just a kid?"_

"So Third Child," came the voice of Asuka. "It looks like you've finally started showing your true colors." Her voice was smug. "I told you I was the best. Glad to see you finally started excepting that fact."

Shinji didn't even look up at her. He concentrated on his own inner conflict which had nothing to do with her. This only served to infuriate her more, and so she pushed again.

"Nothing to say? Figures… You'll always be a worthless coward, and not a man like Kaji."

Shinji finally looked up but still did not look at her. "Kaji is a monster," he whispered. "I'd never want to be like him."

"What did you say?" She demanded. When he refused to respond she pushed him sending him sprawling on the floor. "You take that back right now!"

Shinji slowly picked himself backup and calmly turned back towards Asuka. "No," he whispered.

Asuka went to strike him, but before she realized what happened she suddenly herself against a wall and her feet were no longer on the ground. Breathing suddenly became impossible as Shinji's right hand had clutched her throat . The hardened PVC around the neck of Asuka's plugsuit buckled instantly under the pressure cutting off her air supply. She tried to lash out with her right hand but found her left wrist clutched in his iron grip and pined to the wall as well. Her feet dangled a few inches off the ground as his adrenaline fueled rage gave him unforeseen strength. She kicked at his legs trying to buckle his knees but she couldn't get up enough strength to do enough damage. In less than 2 seconds of strangulation she already lost most of her muscle control.

"Kaji is the monster Exodus," Shinji growled, "the monster who kills indiscriminately. He almost killed Storm and Spirit and he killed many in Tokyo-2 trying to kill Storm again. If I had the strength I'd kill him myself. "

Asuka gasped trying to get air but her world started turning black. She suddenly found herself dropped back to the ground. Her knees buckled and she found herself laying mostly on her side trying to get air back into her body.

"All you have ever done was put me down. I've had enough of it." Before Asuka could respond to his words he planted a hard kick into her stomach making her gasp again and roll into a ball. "You're even more pathetic than I am." With that he walked into his side of the locker room.

* * *

Ten minutes later, he walked into Gendo's office.

"You could have knocked first," Gendo deadpanned as he sat there, his hands folded in their customary pose.

"Shut up and listen," Shinji snapped. "I know what you are, father. I know what you have become."

"I am fully aware of that."

"What's the game?"

"Game?" he questioned. "This is no game. I'm doing what I have to do."

"And Exodus?"

"A pawn, if you must know. I never ordered him to attack Mayumi."

Shinji's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Storm's real name.

"Nor did I order him to kill her mother. He will be dealt with, but it is no concern of yours."

"Everything that happens to her is my concern. Whatever you are planning father, I won't let it happen."

Gendo was growing intolerant of this. "And what power do you think you have?"

"None. But I'll find a way to bring you down. Whatever you have planned is not going to happen. I'll stop you."

Gendo slammed his hands into his desk. The sudden sound would have scared anyone out of their train of thought, but Shinji didn't even flinch. Gendo walked around his desk, menacingly towards Shinji.

"You'll stop nothing. You have no power here at all. I could kill you here and now, and no one would ever find out what happened."

"You won't though, you still need me."

Gendo growled his annoyance at the attitude of the Second Child. "So, my son has finally decided to become a man."

Before he could continue that thought, the Angel Alarms started blaring. Gendo didn't take his eyes off of his son, as the child continued to glare back at him, also seemingly undisturbed by the klaxon.

"You're right… I do still need you … so long as you can continue to kill Angels. Your existence on this pathetic planet now depends on your ability to do your job. So you had better get your synch score back up and fast. If you can't pilot EVA, you are no use to me… and I do not keep resources I can't use."

"Fine," he snapped back. "Just remember this… I will learn what's really going on here… and when I do… I will find a way to stop you."

"Are you going to sit here and make empty threats pilot or are you going to deal with that Angel?"

Shinji's eyes narrowed. "We'll discuss this later… father." With that, he turned and left.

"That we will," he whispered as his office door was slammed shut.

* * *

Three EVA's stalked the streets of Tokyo three, maneuvering into position to attack the unusual looking object that floated gently in the skies above. The massive stripped black and white sphere seemed indifferent to the units scrambling below it. Nearby, two superwomen stood upon a building waiting patiently for their chance to act.

"Storm?" Spirit asked as she viewed the Angel. "Any idea what this thing can do?"

Storm shook her head. "Not even the foggiest. Leliel was always silent within the collective so I never got a good sense of her at all. She's a complete mystery to me."

"Not good," she commented. "So far our battles have been a lot easier since we were able to skip the trial and error part. Has she tried to speak to you yet?"

"I've been trying to talk to her, but I'm having issues sensing her exact position… it's weird, it's like she's everywhere and nowhere at the same time."

"What does that mean?" Spirit asked with concern lacing her voice.

"I wish I knew."

* * *

Shinji's meeting with his father taught him one thing, for whatever reason, he was still necessary to whatever scenario he was planning. However Doom was not afraid to take him out of the picture if he proved a valid threat to him, so Shinji was now skating on thin ice. In retrospect, he concluded that confronting him half-cocked the way he did was probably not the best course of action.

"I have to get this kill," he whispered to himself. "I have to do beat this thing with minimal support in order to prove I'm not expendable."

_Shinji-kun, don't do anything foolish…_

The voice of Mayumi was clear in his mind. Their link had been gaining strength for a while now, and it had come to the point where he couldn't imagine not having it.

_Don't worry May-chan, I'll be okay._

"Shinji-kun," Mitsato's voice came over the radio. "You've got point."

"Roger," he deadpanned. "Moving into forward position."

He peeked around the corner of a large building and saw the orb in the sky. It would be an easy shot; clear line of sight, no sign of the enemy detecting their presence and so the element of surprise, and the equivalent of a Colt .45 Automatic in his right hand.

"Third Child," came the voice of Asuka. "Just so you know, when this is over, I'm getting you back for what you did to me."

"Bring it on," he replied. "Next time you might not walk away with just a sore neck and an achy stomach."

"Shinji-kun," Misato started, "What's all this about?"

Shinji didn't answer. "Executing attack," he said before spinning around the building using it as cover and firing three shots into the sphere.

He watched in horror as it simply vanished the moment the bullets reached it. Suddenly a cold feeling swept over his feet as he looked down. He heard yelling over the radio and realized he was standing in a massive black area and was slowly sinking in.

"Damn it!" he yelled. "It's a trap!" He turned his weapon down while gripping the side of the building trying to slow his decent and unloaded the magazine into the darkness, only to watch as the bullets hit the surface as if he shot into pudding and disappear beneath it.

Storm realizing what was happening took off from her perch with Spirit in hot persuit. The skies over Tokyo-3 darkened as she unleashed electric death into the shadow, but to no effect. Realizing Unit 01 was unable to pull itself out Mayumi used her magnetic ability to try to wrench him free, only to find that her power in that arena was not strong enough to move something over 90 meters tall and weighing several thousand tons.

"Shinji!" she screamed as she fought back against the pull of the Angel with all the power she could muster. Armor plates on the shoulders of Unit 01 started to warp and bend as Mayumi used every bit of magnetic strength she could find within herself to try to free him, but she could not slow his decent into the dark abyss.

"Asuka!" Mistato yelled over the radio. "Try to get him out."

Asuka had to make a decision; either let the boy who dared fight back die, or be an adult and push it all aside to try to save his life. Her split second deliberation almost cost her own life as the shadow appeared beneath her as well. Thinking fast she leapt onto a nearby building, digging her axe into the side of it to hold on.

"I can't!" she yelled over the radio. "It almost swallowed me! I can't get close enough! Mein Gott, this thing is everywhere!"

Several skyscrapers began to descend into the darkness along with the one Asuka was on. She looked towards Unit 00 and saw that Rei was having the same problem. Nimbly, she lept across the roof tops, smashing each one in turn with Rei following in pursuit.

"Let him go!" Storm yelled as she forced the sky to rain lightning into the shadow but saw no change

_**No.**_ Came the whisper of Leliel. _**I do not wish to. I wish to see why this one intrigues you so. Soon he will become a part of me, and you will have no choice but to rejoin the collective against the Lilium. **_

"No! Don't do this!" Storm began to dive down towards the darkness but was stopped immediately by Spirit. She pinned Storm's arms back and started flapping her wings hard to fight against the downdraft that Storm was using to try to propel herself towards the darkness.

"No! Let me go! I can't leave him!"

"Storm," Spirit whispered into her ear. "We have to retreat. We'll find a way, but this is not helping him."

"No! I have to go to him!" She watched in horror as only the head of Unit 01 was still above the surface of the shadow.

_May-chan! Help me!_

"Shinji!" she screamed as she watched the purple mecha's head disappear benethe the darkness. Her eyes widened as she realized her connection to him was severed. Terror consumed her as her heart began to pound and she realized he was gone… simply gone… consumed by an Angel she had no power against.

The scream that tore from her lungs echoed over even the storm overhead…

* * *

Eight hours later, it was still raining. Outside of Leliel's expansion area, Storm was on her knees still crying though not as loudly now. It was more of a whimper than anything else. Spirit knelt with her, with an arm around her shoulder as she wracked her brain trying to think of a way to get Shinji out of this. But she realized even she did not have a solution to the problem.

Inside NERV, Doctor Doom was wracking his brain trying to devise a way to get Unit 01 out of the Angel. Yui was within 01, and without her he was lost. It was then that he finally got a plan, but he didn't devise it. As he sat in his chair as Gendo, he listened to Lieutenant Maya Ibuki's solution, and the solution handed to him by Doctor Akagi. Neither was promising.

Akagi elaborated on her plan.

"The Angel is producing an inverted AT Field and the spherical body we are seeing in the air is actually its shadow. It's the same Dirac Sea effect we saw in the United States when we lost Unit 04. Unit 00 and 02 will use their AT Fields to neutralize the AT Field of the Angel and we have the UN drop its remaining arsenal of 992 N2 Mines into it. This will destroy the Angel and with a little luck, we should be able to retrieve Unit 01."

"And what is the probability that the pilot will survive?" Gendo asked.

"Slim to none sadly," Doctor Akagi responded.

"I see. Lieutenant Ibuki, what is your plan?"

Maya stepped forward. Unbeknownst to Doctor Doom, Maya's body was infested with nanites that were transformed after Iruel's destruction. She had been going though some 'changes' lately; the least of which was constant partial access to the MAGI remotely and a brain that could calculate better than his. She put her new found intellect to good use.

"My idea sir, is to use a set of fifteen particle emitters on an ultra high frequency. We lace the particles with high energy tackyons which, if at the proper frequency should force the AT Field to revert to a normal AT Field. If successful, it should expel everything it 'ate' out of its body allowing us to more safely recover Unit 01. At that point Units 00 and 02 should be able to take it out."

"I see… and what are the chances of success," he questioned.

"Sadly, only about two point zero seven one percent. It will be difficult to find the proper frequency, and there is no guarantee that the Angel can't simply modulate its own AT Field to overcome the signal. Also, it will take about six hours to properly set up. Meaning we would have to start soon if we plan to get Pilot Ikari out of the Angel alive."

"And the worst case scenario?"

"Tokyo-3 becomes a crater and we retrieve nothing."

"I see. Your plan has merit but there is far too much risk to Unit 01. We'll go with Doctor Akagi's plan."

"Very well," she replied. She knew her plan was risky at best and probably wouldn't be accepted… she also knew that something odd was happening in the bowels of NERV and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. Unfortunately, the changes Ritsuko made to the MAGI were preventing her from gaining direct access. She was determined to learn the truth.

* * *

Inside Leliel, Shinji was cold and feeling lonely. Separation anxiety was getting to him, and he knew it. He hadn't been able to project his thoughts outside of the Angel and so his connection to the one person keeping him sane was gone. Periodically he would power up for a second and see only white noise around him. He felt claustrophobic and weak. All in all, it was not a good day to be Shinji Ikari.

"Still nothing but white noise," he whispered as he shut down the EVA and kept it on minimal power mode. "Even the suit is starting to run low on energy. I wonder how much time has passed." He looked around and noticed something that shouldn't be.

The hatch of the plug was beginning to leak a black fluid, similar to the shadow that enveloped his EVA. Seeing this he panicked and threw himself against the far wall only to find more black stuff creeping along the walls inside the plug.

"Get away!" he yelled at the shadow.

_**Do not be afraid. I wish to become one with you.**_

"You can't! I'm promised to another."

_**Ramiel no longer possesses you. I do. I possess your colossus and soon I shall possess you.**_

"Leave me alone!"

_**You can not control it. You will become one with me, and I with you. Does this make you sad?**_

The blackness pulled away from the walls forming into a roughly female shape like that of an 18 year old girl.

_**I promise it will not hurt. You will feel so much better once I am finished with you.**_

Shinji said nothing. The inevitability of it all began to overwhelm him.

"I'm going to die…" he whispered as the female figure reached out and took hold of his arm with an almost gentle and reassuring touch. A dark mass crept from her hand over his arm and soon began to cover his entire body. It felt cold…so very cold that it sapped much of the heat out of his body. He shivered as he was enveloped in the darkness of Leliel. He felt as if he were lost in a maelstrom of terror and hopelessness.

Then something changed… in his last moments, he saw her… Mother... and image that seemed to whisper for him to never give up… never give in…

As Leleil's darkness pushed though his skin and into his body, the blue cells that made her up were suddenly overwhelmed by the light of Shinji's soul. She wasn't assimilating him, he was assimilating her!

_**What are you doing?**_

"Making a choice," he said resolutely. A great light suddenly shown within the plug as the spirit of Yui appeared in all its glory, burning away the darkness. Unit 01 was out of power but within the Plug, it was still alive….

"Thank you, mother…."

**

* * *

To Be Continued….**

* * *

**A/N:** I still own nothing…

When I started this story I decided that no male characters would gain superpowers. After much deliberation, my story is taking a slightly different direction than it had when I first began writing it.

I had been struggling with this for quite some time. After I wrote Chapter 13, I started debating how the battle against Leliel would progress… after much deliberation, I decided to mirror cannon to an extent.

While I still have not decided how this ending to Part One of Lost in the Maelstrom will affect the rest of the series to come, there is no doubt in my mind that the effect will be profound. After reading the latest chapters of Lilith's Herald, I came to realize that a series called "Superwomen of Eva" didn't truly preclude the idea of superpowered males, it simply was going to exclusively or at least mostly focus on strong female protagonists. Even the best female protagonist series had male counter-parts that had power of their own.

What I am try to say is that I no longer view the thoughts of a strong male protagonist in the series as necessarily a bad thing, so long as he does not become the main character. Therefore it is likely that Shinji will in fact, against my earlier ideals, become a Superhero in his own right.

That said, I need to make one thing abundantly clear to all of you (this includes mike313 who as I recall was very vocal about not having male protagonists at all). I am not doing this because of the many readers who badgered me to do so. I'm not doing it because I think Shinji got the short end of the stick in EVA, or because it's the popular thing to do. I'm doing it because the direction I have taken this story is right for it. For much of the development and writing, this story has almost written itself, straight out of my head. I had some control of course, reining things in when it got too crazy, not allowing certain events to progress (there are at least 2 instances where the story was going in a direction that would have killed several important characters), and generally making sure the flow wasn't too chaotic.

I'm not an expert… I don't consider myself a writing god… I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it left.

But now I think I've ranted on long enough. The second and last part of "Lost in the Maelstrom" should be coming out relatively soon, and it will be revealed then what Shinji will become. I'm sure some of you are taking bets right now as to what he becomes. All I'll say about it is, "wait and see." I'm sure the final answer will be surprising…


	15. Lost in the Maelstrom, Part II

**Tempest Aterna**

**XV: Lost in the Maelstrom, Part II**

* * *

When Leliel originally absorbed Unit 01, she was ecstatic though quite calm on the outside. Unit 01 was a source of infinite power, at first through the umbilical and now though the EVA itself. Deep within was a berserker spirit, one whose rage it could turn into raw power, and use that power to devastate NERV.

When Leliel evolved, she gained the ability to absorb vast amounts of energy and even matter and convert it into energy. That energy could then be unleashed upon its enemies via its shadow in the sky, and destroy them utterly. Anything caught within her inverted AT Field was instantly absorbed into the infinite space beyond where her body eventually broke it down into raw energy. And she had absorbed much of Tokyo-3.

In addition, her Absorption of Unit 01 would give her access to its pilot, the boy who currently held the attention of the new Angel of Thunder, Storm. Leliel wanted her former brother turned half-angelic sister to return to the fold. Shinji Ikari had become an element that prevented this sought after return. By possessing him, body and soul, she would be able to pull Remiel back.

However things never turned out the way any of the previous Angels had planned. While it was true the Lilum had a chance against her judging from their previous engagements, she never expected that Storm's relationship with Shinji Ikari would have had such an impact on his soul. He had never slept with Storm, and yet somehow, he had an angelic aspect… a power of his own. That power was what would beat her….

Shinji Ikari, the boy who less than a year prior was a meek boy with little backbone and no real power of his own, had become her worst nightmare. Inside of her Sea of Dirac, he was absorbing her essence though the connection she made with his body, and now though that same connection, was taking her very life. The ambient energy she had collected from the raw material she absorbed, and the energy she had leeched from his EVA was being turned against her, forcing her AT Field to revert and tear itself apart.

At that moment, the restless spirit within the Evangelion awoke in a berserker rage, one matched by that of its pilot. With her infinite space suddenly reverting to finite, her body shuddered with fear as she realized she now had the equivalent of a rabid Tasmanian devil inside of her… and it wanted out.

The entire spectacle became apparent to those outside, though few would ever know or even understand how it happened. Mayumi and Storm stood upon a distant building waiting for the bombs to drop. EVA units 00 and 02 stood just outside the shadow, ready to spread their AT Fields. In the calm before a ridiculously large amount of high explosive would be dropped from above, the ground below shuddered and rolled like an angry sea. Massive cracks split the shadow apart revealing the crimson waters beneath.

Then it happened… The Sky itself seemed to shudder and the sphere that was the shadow of Leliel seemed to twitch and writhe as the white stripes on its surface faded away. A bulge developed on its side, stretching the surface of the sphere to its limits before splitting open and releasing a small torrent of blood. Clearly visible within the torn opening was a single hand that reached out as if looking for something to grasp before clutching the side of the opening. It was soon joined by the other massive hand, also bloody beyond recognition that began to pry the Angel apart.

Within NERV, jaws dropped and stomachs became nauseated at the sight. Gendo watched dispassionately and sensed a great power from within the macabre maelstrom. He didn't know if it was Leliel grasping at the last strands of life she still had, or if it was Unit 01 he was sensing. Either way, he felt an odd chill down his spine that day, and a realization that what was coming was not something he was prepared to deal with.

"Am… am I piloting a monster like that?" mused an almost terrified Asuka as she watched the bloody event play itself out.

EVA 01 was soon visible from the waist up as it broke free of its jaw restraints and roared out in pure rage. Within seconds the body of Leliel lost the last of its durability and shattered, raining countless gallons of angelic blood upon the ruined streets of the city. Unit 01 slammed down to the ground in a crouched position causing the remnants of the shadow body to shatter apart. It threw its head back and roared….

* * *

Hours later, Shinji was home… He was lying on his bed with Mayumi curled into him. When the berserker rage of Unit 01 finally ended, his connection to her became reestablished. Though Mayumi couldn't figure out what had happened to him, she could sense though the bond they shared that he had changed. He felt angelic to her now, at least in the same way Storm was.

"Do you remember anything?" she asked him.

He gently reached around her and stroked her hair. "No," he whispered. "Not really… just bits and pieces. But I know what happened to me."

"Then you understand what this means."

Shinji nodded slightly. "I thought my life was strange before… now it's really gotten interesting. Though, one thing I'm still not sure about is if 'Shinji Ikari, Angel of the Night' has the proper ring to it."

Mayumi smiled slightly, though he heard her mental chuckle though their bond. Just as Mayumi became the new Angel of Thunder, taking up Ramiel's mantle, Shinji had become the new Angel of the Night, taking up Leliel's.

"We'll worry about that later. Please get some rest."

Shinji smiled at her but said nothing, pulling her gently into a kiss before taking her advice and going unconscious.

* * *

"Well Doctor, what is the prognosis?"

Ritusko stood in Doctor Gendo Von Doom's office with a stack of papers in her arms. "I ran all the data you requested and did all of the tests ordered. I was unable to come up with any real conclusions. It is obvious that his DNA has been altered on some level, but it remains to be seen just how altered it has become."

"You were unable to develop any projections on how this would affect him?"

"Unfortunately I was not."

"I see," he deadpanned. "Very well… Make sure you test him once a week for any changes to his condition and report any findings to me immediately."

"Of course Doctor," she said as she turned to leave.

Kozo Fuyutsuki entered the room as she left, holding a newspaper rolled under one arm. "I do not suppose you have heard the latest?" he asked.

Gendo made no sign that he did. "Enlighten me."

Kozo dropped the newspaper on his desk and Gendo's eyes were immediately drawn to the page 1 headline: "MS. FANTASTIC FOILS BANK ROBBERY".

"Another one?" he almost groaned.

"I am afraid so," he replied. "That brings the current count to three if I'm not mistaken."

"And with Exodus my only strong pawn," he began to reply, "I am now at a numbers disadvantage. I'll have to correct this problem."

"How will you do that?" he asked tentatively.

"I believe its time to activate the Doom Guard," Gendo replied coldly.

Kozo felt a chill down his spine. He knew of this particular project and the very idea of it was too creepy to contemplate.

Within Gendo was the essence of Adam, the 1st Angel. With that were the templates for the Fifteen Messengers. Gendo had begun to extract those DNA sequences from his mind and tailor the genetics of samples from Lilith to emulate their power. He even went so far as to create completely new strains with differing abilities to infuse into selected cells. The result was a set of three clones of Rei Ayanami that contained bits of specific messengers. On the surface they looked like ordinary girls with the exception of their blue hair and red eyes, but underneath, they were death machines. He didn't know which specific traits were bred into each one, but he knew what they were called by Doom; Mystique, Deathstrike, and the scariest of the three, Onslaught.

The clones were also given human DNA from seemingly random Japanese donors taken from a local blood bank to make them appear more human. Though their true hair color and eye colors could not be modified, they each appeared different physically. Mystique's blue hair was much darker than the light azure of Rei Ayanami, and was shoulder length with far more body. Deathstrike's was long and straight reaching the small of her back. Onslaught's hair was so light it was almost white, but otherwise was closest to Rei's in terms of style. A mop of soft locks though a bit longer, and the bangs fell over the left side of her face, often hiding her left eye. Each of their faces was also different. Combined with sunglasses and hair dye, they would be able to blend in with Japanese society and execute his orders in secret with the utmost impunity.

But what truly scared Kozo was the fact that their humanity has been spliced out of them. Each was unquestioningly loyal to Doom and had all the scruples of a corrupt lawyer. Each was a completely amoral creature that would do whatever was requested of them, or die trying, regardless of what was in their way. They were killers… perfectly remorseless killers.

"You can't be serious," he gasped.

"Of course I am serious," he replied immediately. "I created them specifically to defeat Spirit and Storm, and to carry out my desires once all other obstacles were eliminated. Storm is getting closer all the time to uncovering what is really going on here. Combine that with Spirit backing her up and this third superwoman that can potentially muck things up makes it a necessity."

"I see."

"You don't approve."

Kozo frowned. "Not as if I have any say in the matter."

"And you would do well remember that, my old sensei."

* * *

Several Hours Earlier….

Ryoji Kaji made his way down to the locker room looking for his ward. He had passed Shinji on his way down and sensed something went awry judging by the sheer wave of anger he felt off the Second Child. Asuka should have been back up by now… it doesn't take her this long to get changed after a test.

When he arrived in the hall that ran alongside both rooms, he heard her coughing and sensed she was weakened. He ran to her now, the part of him that was Kaji was concerned about her wellbeing. Sliding into a kneeling position next to her, he gently picked up her small frame and held her. Asuka was crying…

"Did Ikari do this to you?" he asked as he examined her. She had managed to depressurize her plug suit and tear opened the shattered collar so she could more easily breathe again. She winced as she was picked up, feeling her stomach muscles cry out in protest at the sudden movement.

"I'm… going… to kill him," she hissed in between tears.

"No," Kaji/Exodus whispered calmly. "Leave it to me."

"He was spewing lies about you," she continued. "He said you were a monster, that you were Exodus."

"Would it truly matter to you if I was?" he asked.

Asuka seemed to consider this for a moment before she whispered, "No."

"I didn't think so. I'll deal with the Third Child… I'll put the fear of God into him."

* * *

The Next Afternoon

It was a Sunday… no classes and nothing to do. Shinji, had decided to make himself useful. While Mayumi and Misato began to argue over who was now in charge of which chores (she wasn't about to let everything get piled onto Shinji despite his protests to the opposite), Shinji went shopping. He needed a little time away from the house to think, though he knew Mayumi would still be listening in on his thoughts if she could.

While an afternoon of shopping wasn't his idea of a party, it did serve someone else's agenda quite well. With more and more people leaving Tokyo-3 in the wake of the Angels, there would be little to interfere with Kaji as he confronted the Third Child. As Shinji made his way down the street, Kaji grabbed him and tossed him into the alley.

Shinji sprawled out on the ground, groaned in annoyance and got back up. "Just what I needed today," he groaned.

"Shut up and listen," came the voice of Kaji. Shinji stood up and faced him. He could make out the raw angelic power he wielded bleeding though his annoyance and knew instantly what this was about.

"I honestly think you're an okay kid, but you hurt Asuka. I don't know what she said to you, and I don't care. That kind of behavior is completely unacceptable."

"If she tries to push me around again," Shinji replied, "I won't back down. I might have been a bit upset at the time I throttled her, but I don't feel very much in the way of remorse over it. She's done nothing but try to kick me down the entire time she's been here, and I won't stand for it anymore."

"So the spineless Third Child has finally grown a backbone?"

"Yes, not that you should care… Exodus." The last word was nearly hissed out and Kaji could almost feel the same contempt he felt from Gendo when he was punished for trying to redeem his pride.

"So you do know then," Kaji replied.

"Yes, I do. I also know you tried to kill the girl I love… and killed her mother. I also know you killed many trying to kill Mayumi. I also know that you already knew who she was because my father… Doctor Doom knows as well. But you already knew that, didn't you Exodus?"

"I figured you knew but I didn't know exactly how much Storm told you."

"Not that that knowledge is of any use to you."

"Of course not," he growled. "Of course I have to wonder why, knowing what I am, you're not backing down."

Shinji smiled slightly… it a smile that reminded Kaji of that look Gendo would get on his face when things were working to his favor. "Because I'm not afraid of you… I've faced down massive Angels, seen Mayumi at her worst and best, and even faced my father. My fear is gone Exodus, and I'll fully prepared to stand up for what I believe in. If Storm taught me anything, it's that I have to fight for what is right."

"Oh really," Exodus almost chuckled as he stepped forward. He grabbed Shinji by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Listen you pathetic Lilum, you have no idea what you're dealing with."

"I guess its time I found out," Shinji said calmly. He put his hands together and threw them up between Kaji's and swung outwards breaking his grip on his shoulder then shoved into Kaji's chest hard. The shock of the hit threw Kaji back against the opposite wall and caused cracks to become visible in it.

"So… you got something out of Leliel after all. I knew I sensed Angelic energy on you." His clothing shifted to his Exodus costume. "Of course if you think you can actually face me on my own terms, you're sorely mistaken." To punctuate his last word, he fired a blast of angelic power into Shinji's chest.

And that's when Exodus realized that the tables had been reversed, and he was the one who didn't know what he was dealing with. The energy blast hit his chest squarely but seemed to be absorbed into his body rather than doing any real damage.

"My turn," Shinji replied and threw his right hand forward. His body had absorbed the energy and transferred it to his waiting hand. The power unleashed was a focused bolt of concussive force that threw Exodus through the wall and into the 1st floor of the building. Shinji followed him in and though the dust, he saw there were still a few people inside. As Exodus attempted to get back up Shinji yelled out, "All of you, get out of here!"

The bystanders quickly ran out of the room when Exodus returned a blast of his own catching Shinji off guard and in the shoulder. It threw him back a little and burned though his shirt, but did little damage to him. Getting his concentration back, he absorbed the residual power and tore his shirt off the rest of the way. His scrawny frame seemed laughably unimposing to Exodus until he watched as Shinji's muscles suddenly grew in size slightly and became much more defined.

The child ran at Exodus and began a physical assault. While Kaji was better trained in hand-to-hand combat, Shinji did try taking Tai Kwan Do classes when he was younger and recalled that knowledge. Exodus's attempts to restrain him were foiled by well placed kicks, and each one felt to Exodus as if he were being hit with a cinder block. He couldn't understand what was happening… his mind simply couldn't process that this meek child… this pawn of The Commander was suddenly almost as strong as he was.

Finally, Exodus managed to land a few direct attacks to Shinji's chest and stomach then kicked him away sending him though another wall. Shinji groaned for a moment before getting back up.

"Should have figured this wasn't going to be an easy fight," he groaned.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with," Exodus hissed. "You think you truly know what kind of power I wield? You know nothing."

Shinji dusted himself off. "I know you're a monster that won't hesitate to kill. That's all I need to know."

Exodus watched as the cuts and bruises he inflicted on the young Ikari were quickly disappearing, but even for Angelic regeneration, this was fast.

"I also know you're holding back because Doctor Doom wouldn't be too happy about you killing his son now would he?"

"Do you think I care?"

"Of course you care," Shinji said calmly. "He has something over you, and that's the only reason you're working for him. I don't know what it is, but I do know that so long as he has it, you won't kill me."

"Since you seem to be so good at healing yourself, I'll settle for causing you pain."

Exodus flew into Shinji at full tilt but Shinji had shifted his stance to counter the impact and delivered a punch to Exodus's stomach as he impacted against him. As Exodus reeled from the hit, Shinji grabbed his shoulders and jumped a few feet into the air doing a half flip in the process. At the height of this, he kicked into Exodus's stomach as hard as possible sending him though the opposite wall at full speed before finishing his flip and landing crouched on the ground.

As Exodus smashed though two different walls, Shinji threw his arm back without looking and released a concussive blast. The shot struck Exodus hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and increasing his momentum until he violently left the building. Shinji then turned in that direction and followed the path of destruction until he reached the outside. He realized it was raining.

Exodus picked himself up from the street in time to take a boot to the chest from Storm. 90' later he stopped sliding.

"How dare you mess with my boyfriend!" she yelled.

Exodus picked himself up. He realized he was now outnumbered and outgunned. "I'm afraid you didn't exactly catch me at my best."

"Apparently not," Shinji replied.

"Shinji-kun, are you okay?" Storm asked.

"I'm just fine," he replied. "Not bad for my first real fight I must say."

"You were perfect!" she said enthusiastically.

"Gimme a break," Exodus groaned. "Or at least get a room."

"Just shut up," Shinji replied. "You're in no position to make stupid quips." Storm circled around to the back of Shinji and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He placed a hand on hers as she leaned her head against him. "I figure now is probably when you're going to make your exit so I'll make this quick. If Asuka confronts me again, I will not back down from her. I won't hurt her, and that should be enough for Ryoji Kaji. Now I suggest you get out of here before I decide to take advantage of the fact that you haven't left yet."

"This isn't over, Shinji Ikari."

"I know its not… and you can call me Bishop. Now leave."

Exodus teleported away, leaving Bishop and Storm behind to contemplate their victory.

Bishop turned to face Storm and held her tightly.

"You were scared weren't you?" Storm asked tentatively.

"I was able to push past my fear and confront him… but honestly, yeah, I was." Bishop sighed. "But now that I know I can face him on his own terms, he doesn't scare me anymore."

"Good," Storm whispered. "I remember when you told me you wished you were strong like me. But I knew you always were strong inside. Honestly Bishop, I don't know how I really feel about you getting super powers, but… I guess it's good that you can help me more directly now."

"Let's not think about that now my love," Bishop whispered. "Let's just go home and try to enjoy the rest of the day."

* * *

As Storm lifted Shinji and herself into the sky, the scene was observed though a single visible red eye… the eye of Onslaught. She was dressed in a red and blue plugsuit with plates of f-LS plating over the fore arms and lower legs. She found the battle to be intriguing. Bishop/Shinji was indeed a unique individual and looked forward to the potential to face him in combat.

"I trust you saw everything Doctor?" she whispered.

"Yes I did," came the voice of Doctor Doom though the small earpiece she wore. "As much as I am annoyed at the potential for now 4 direct threats, I can't help but feel a bit of pride for my son. There is much we can learn from him Onslaught… much we can learn indeed."

"I agree."

"So for now you will take no direct action against him. I'll assign Mystique to keep an eye on him… her unique abilities should make this a simple matter. In the meantime, I want you to prepare for Phase One. Proceed to our branch in America as my representative and oversee the transfer of EVA Unit 03 to us. The Angel Bardiel will attempt to infect it in flight, see to it Bardiel does not get the opportunity to do so. I need that unit intact for the next phase."

"As you wish. Bardiel will not succeed so long as I draw breath. Hail Doom!" with that the transmission ended. With Storm and Bishop now long gone, she took to the sky and began the long flight to the US Branch of NERV.

* * *

"So you whooped him good?" Misato asked.

When Shinji returned home, Misato was quite concerned about the fact that he was completely shirtless. The fact that Mayumi had changed into her Storm costume and left in such a hurry was also not very encouraging. Now, she had the story directly from Shinji himself, and was impressed.

"I did," he replied, sounding quite proud of himself. "I only wish I could have hurt him more."

"Why did you let him go?" she asked. "Considering everything he's done…"

"I'm not a murderer, and there is no court for people like Exodus. I couldn't decide how best to deal with him… besides, I'm still trying to get a handle on my new powers. He would have eventually figured out how to best me. I'm just glad Mayumi showed up when she did."

The aforementioned girl was still hanging on his back. "I couldn't let you face him alone."

"I'm glad you were there May-chan. But we have to make a decision on how to deal with this… Its not like we can just turn off Exodus's powers, and he has to pay for his crimes… but how do we do it?"

Misato thought for a moment. "I know of one way to deal with it, but I'm not sure how to set it up."

"What's that?" Shinji asked.

"Bakelite…"

Shinji snapped his fingers at that realization. "Of course! Theoretically, we could seal him in it and he would be trapped permanently… the perfect prison."

Mayumi looked questioningly. "Bakelite?"

"It's a substance we use to encase EVA's if they go berserk inside of NERV," Misato explained. "It's a red liquid that hardens quickly when exposed to air and its super tough. Even a raging EVA can't break the stuff. Anything tapped in Bakelite would remain there until it was freed by us."

"But how do we implement it?"

Shinji sighed. "It'll be difficult at best," he replied. "But if we can somehow set the trap, we should be able to bait him into it."

"It's the best plan we have," Misato continued. "Otherwise, we have no choice but to kill him, if we can."

Mayumi looked at Misato sadly. "If it comes to that, I'll do it. I know I can beat him now."

"We'll face him together if it does come to that, May-chan," Shinji offered.

* * *

"Yet again Exodus, you have disobeyed a primary directive," Gendo scolded at the now admonished Kaji.

"Please forgive me Doctor," he pleaded. "He hurt Asuka, my ward. Certainly even you can understand how I would react to this."

"As a matter of fact, I do. And fortunately for you, I need you alive as I am now beset by enemies." He threw the day's newspaper to him, and he saw the headline.

"Ms Fantastic?"

"Indeed," Gendo replied. "This is the second time she made the front page. While for the time being she seems to be little more than a vigilante protecting the innocent, I believe she is simply practicing her skills. She can become a dire threat to us, no less than Storm, Bishop or Spirit."

"Two against four is not my idea of a party," Kaji replied dryly.

"Not two Exodus… including you and myself, it's currently five to four."

His eyes widened at the realization. "You've awoken the Doom Guard?"

"I have. How do you think I found out about your failure so quickly? Onslaught observed everything. I have Mystique currently watching my son and his girlfriend closely, though apparently they have gotten wise to my electronic surveillance. So for the time being, she is forced to simply keep track of their movements. This in itself however may be enough information. Onslaught is now overseeing the transfer of EVA 03 to us. Deathstrike is on a 'special assignment'."

"So what are we doing in the meantime?"

"Nothing… Now is not the time to strike. Every combat you have entered into against the Superwomen as of late has ended in failure or incompletion. Therefore, for the time being, we simply observe. We'll learn what we can about these three superwomen, and with any luck, Doctor Akagi will give me insight into what my son is capable of. Once we know all the facts, we can make our move… and crush every ounce of resistance from them all."

"You know I dislike just sitting around."

"And you are also aware that I do not care about your personal feelings regarding these matters Exodus. Need I remind you that your brash actions have not only been out of character for your alter ego, but also completely fruitless to the point of futility… that said, you need to focus on your previous orders, locating the 12 members of the SEELE Consul. How much of this have you accomplished?"

Kaji sighed. "My sources have informed me as to the locations of 11 of them. I am having trouble locating Keel."

"Keep at it then. Once the last messenger has been dealt with, the old men will die."

"As you wish," Kaji responded.

"One final thing on the agenda, with EVA 03 being transferred over, the Fourth Child must now be found. You and I both know that the Marduk Institute is a front, so now the decision must be made as to who the new pilot will be."

"I take it you have a choice in mind."

"Doctor Akagi and and I have been deliberating this and have narrowed our choices down to three possibilities; Toji Suzahara, Kensuke Aida and Hikari Horaki. Despite how much of a trial it has been having you under my command. I value your opinion on the matter."

Kaji thought about this. "I'll have to look into their files closely before I can give an opinion. From what Asuka tells me though, Suzahara and Kensuke are 'stooges' as she called them. Screw ups would probably be a closer description. She called Toji a stupid jock and a Kensuke a military otauku. She has high regard for Hikari, but I won't base my opinion on just her word. Asuka has a rather skewed view of people."

"Yes, that's true. Do your research now; I need an answer before day's end."

Kaji sighed. "Very well Doctor. I'll call you when I've finished my investigation."

He then left he room. Once he was gone, Gendo leaned back in his chair.

"And what do you think, Deathstrike?"

A shimmer of reflective light in a corner behind and to his left revealed the figure of the member of the Doom Guard. Her long hair, tied into a braid and dyed ebon black with a few streaks of her natural Azure still plainly visible. She was dressed in a black plugsuit with steel grey details. The color was not the only thing unique about it as the gloves were also completely fingerless. As she approached the left side of the desk she began cracking her knuckles.

"He's a weak link," she whispered.

"We still need his contacts to accomplish our current goals."

"We do, but do not forget that he is a treacherous one. We both know he's plotting against you."

Gendo sighed. "Once he has fulfilled his directives it won't matter what happens to him."

"Will you let me take care of him then?" she asked almost seductively.

Gendo smiled ever so slightly. "If you wish, then you may… but not until I give the word."

"Of course Doctor, I wouldn't dream of killing him before then." With that she began to slip back into the shadows and fade away. "Hail Doom," she whispered as she faded out.

Gendo leaned forward and back to his normal position at his desk. From behind his folded hands, he continued to smile ever so slightly.

"Things are finally starting to get interesting," he mused.

**

* * *

End of Chapter 15**

* * *

**A/N:** I still own nothing.

And so the Maelstrom Saga comes to a close. Whew! This chapter was a bit challenging to write, as you can imagine but I enjoyed the time I spent on it so, I consider it a well spent two days.

With now four individuals on the side of justice and right, I needed to even up the playing field, which is how I came up with the idea of the Doom Guard. They were supposed to make their first appearance in the previous chapter but after deliberation, I decided to hold off and wait until after more mentions of Ms Fantastic and the imminent powering up of Shinji Ikari would properly force the issue.

Some of you might be concerned about the sheer number of characters now… relax. I can't keep having Exodus as the only active bad guy, that makes things stale and boring after a while. Our heros, especially Storm need new challengers that can do unexpected things. Since Doom is working so hard on his perfect genetic army, it gives me plenty of fodder if I need a temporary bad guy or antagonist that could put up a challenge, even if they last for only one or two chapters.

**17th Immortal:** I wasn't about to step on anyone's toes if I could help it.

**Orionpax09:** You should see her in action in a chapter or two. I have plans…

**Commander Galos:** As I know next to nothing about the DC Universe (aside from Batman), I probably won't write one for that series. I hope you understand my reasoning behind the addition of the Doom Guard, and I hope to keep the story as riveting as ever… whatever that means…

**All:** Thanks again for your support. See you next chapter.


	16. Skies of Green, Part I

After my long absence, I have finally sort of returned. I can't promise to stay long but I will try to get out as much as I can while I can. Without further adue…

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**XVI: Skies of Green, Part I**

* * *

Between Doom and the other Ikari, Exodus was about done with that entire family. He knew he had to break out of the control of the Commander of NERV but with that blasted device still inside his body, how could he? Defeat after defeat was weighing down on him, and he began to realize that one of his primary contacts was slipping though his fingers.

"SEELE," he whispered as he approached his apartment door. How long had it been since he checked in with them? He was surprised none of them attempted to make contact with him yet. Then again, it was probably for the best for the time being. He had enough on his plate. Still, he had to give them a report… but what to tell them?

Upon entering his apartment, he was met with a sight that could only be described as wrong on so many levels. Asuka was laying on her side on the couch, wearing what could only be described as a cute little lace nightgown that she probably shouldn't even be wearing for another 4 years at least.

"I've been waiting for you Kaji-chan," she whispered seductively. Even though the marks on her throat where Shinji strangled her a while back were still visible, Kaji had to admit she was extremely beautiful. He had no doubt that in a few years, she would become a beautiful woman.

With the stress of his current predicaments weighting down on him, he could feel his inhibitions were weaker than normal. But he had to remember that she was still too young, if only by a couple of years.

"Asuka-chan," he whispered back. "We talked about this. I know what you feel you need from me, but it is not time yet to consummate a relationship."

"A? Do you not mean our?" Asuka replied seductively. With a disappointed sigh, she made her displeasure known as Kaji threw a blanket over her before cradling her in a hug.

"If," he explained, "you decide after you become of age, that I am still the one you desire… so be it. But for now, it simply would feel wrong to me."

"To you, but what about to him?"

"Him?" he asked.

"Exodus… the you that is the angel… my angel!"

He had to admit she made a compelling argument. The part of him that was angelic especially wanted to become one with her, despite the resistance of his small remaining human side.

"You really don't care that I am what others call a monster?"

"I don't think you're a monster Kaji-chan," she whispered sweetly. "I believe you are the truest definition of an angel; strong, beautiful, and enduring." She gently laid her head against his chest now that he held her. "I only wish I could be more like you."

Her hand touched a bruise on his stomach unknowningly to her, but she heard him wince in pain. "Kaji? What happened to you?" She pulled back and lifted his shirt before he could stop her. Almost his entire abdominal area was black and blue. "Mein Gott! Did das uber bitch do this to you?"

"No… she didn't." He said with a sigh as he pulled his shirt back down before Asuka got any ideas. "It was Shinji."

"That spineless wimp did this to you?!" she nearly screamed.

"There is something I need to tell you about that 'spineless wimp' as you put it. His ordeal inside Leliel changed him…"

* * *

**At the Katsuragi Apartment**

"Shinji-kun… are you out of your mind?" Misato scolded.

The residents of the Katsuragi apartment were assembled around the dining room table, even Pen Pen was in attendance, though the discussion must have confused the poor penguin something awful.

"Between me and Mayumi, we could do it," he insisted. "We can finally get into the bowels of NERV and find out what exactly my father is up to… with any luck we can stop it here and now. I don't want to wait until he unleashes whatever hell he has planned because it may be too late by then! The time to act is now!"

"Out of the question," she shot back. "If what he has down there is so important, it must be well protected. We're talking surveillance, traps, and who knows what else!"

"Misato has a point Shinji-kun," Mayumi spoke up at last. "While it may be possible for us to get into the lower levels of NERV, Doctor Doom is a crafty and intelligent adversary. Chances are he would have some kind of defensive matrix down there, probably designed to deal with people like us. It would be suicide."

Shinji's demeanor turned to one of defeat. Though he believed it was possible, the arguments made by his guardian and his girlfriend were incontrovertible. He leaned forward, bridging his hands in a way that Misato found too close to Gendo for her liking before he finally responded. "Perhaps you're right, it would be suicide. I just can't help but feel a bit powerless right now. What we are lacking is information… any chance to get it should be taken but the risks should definitely be taken into consideration." He paused for a moment. "I feel like I'm in a match where I can't see my opponent's side of the field until he moves… it's frustrating to say the least."

"Side of the field?" Mayumi asked.

"Chess," he responded. "When I was in the last few years of Elementary School, I got involved in the chess club. In a short time, I came to understand the game in ways my peers were unable to. I was better than anyone else at the game."

Misato blinked for a moment, "I had no idea you knew how to play. I never got into the game myself, it seemed so boring."

"Shinji-kun, is that why you chose Bishop as your namesake?" Mayumi asked.

"Nine of out ten of the matches I played, it was my Bishops that put the King in Mate," he replied. "It became my favorite piece on the field."

He stood up at that and walked towards the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. He stopped in front of it, peering though the blinds. "We have a lot of power on our side right now; You, Myself, Spirit… but it's going to take more than that to stop my father and his pawn. We need a strategy… a solid plan. But without knowing what to expect, we can't do that. We're at a serious disadvantage here."

"I know Shinji-kun," Misato sad gently. "I'll try to get what information I can. Maybe even interview a few people in NERV."

"Then you better take this," Mayumi said as she pulled something out of her pocket.

Misato took the device and examined it, it was small, maybe the size of a Swiss Army Knife, and flipped open revealing a red light and it made a sound that seemed to be just beyond the range of human hearing.

"What's this?"

"Aida Kensuke at school has been working with us, though he doesn't realize who he's working for. He called it a 'White Noise Generator', an invention if his own design. He said it would disrupt bugs and other audio sensors like parabolic mics and the like. If you're going to try to get information out of people inside NERV, you'll need it to avoid alerting Section 2 to your activities."

"Thanks Mayumi," she replied. "I'll put it to good use." She looked at it closely. "Are you sure this will work? I mean, not that I don't trust the workmanship of one of your classmates but…."

Mayumi stopped her there. "I can see the EM spectrum. This device will nullify anything that sends or receives radio signals over a wide radius."

"I don't like the idea of you risking yourself like this Misato-san," Shinji said from his place still by the window. "It's dangerous. If something were to happen to you…."

"I'll be okay Shinji-kun," she replied. "I've done this sort of thing before."

* * *

**Halfway Across the World**

"The informant has failed us."

The voice was that of SEELE-5. Inside this dark room with dark walls, only the 12 monoliths of the committee were visible. It was like a dark starless part of space where the only light for light years in any direction came from these artificial shapes.

"No, he has not," insisted the voice of SEELE-1. "We now know that he has been caught up in the unusual dealings in Tokyo-3. Our spies have discovered that Ryoji Kaji is in fact Exodus who has been working against the so called Superwomen of Tokyo-3. He has not been successful, but even a blind man can see that he is outclassed and can do no better in this situation."

"Why hasn't he reported then," came SEELE-2.

"Because Ikari has some kind of leash on him. We are fairly certain that Ikari is this so called Doctor Doom that has been whispered by our intelligence forces. Ikari is working against the scenario, and we can no longer tolerate this."

"Against that kind of power, what can we do?" asked SEELE-7.

"I say fight fire with fire!" thundered SEELE-10.

"My thoughts exactly," SEELE-1 responded. "We have the perfect genetic medium here to reproduce what has taken place with the Superwomen… we have Tabris. We will use his genetic map to create our own soldiers and warriors. With them, we will stop Ikari and replace him with someone more apt to complete the scenario. The Red Earth Ceremony will not be stopped!"

"You speak as if the plan is already underway?" SEELE-8 noted.

"It has been for a while now," SEELE-1 responded. "We were experimenting with applying Angelic DNA to a human body long before Storm became active, and it has been done already with Ayanami Rei, though obviously with less powerful results. Our experiments have created soldiers that are much stronger than any conventional warrior. It's time to see if our research has bore fruit, my friends."

* * *

**Next Day, NERV**

Ritsuko Akagi took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. She had been pouring over the mountain of data gleaned from the Third Child but was still unable to make any real progress in figuring out what he has become. Doctor Doom was quite cross with her when she failed to produce results last time, and she desperately wanted to make him happy…

But she didn't understand why she needed to make him happy. Something was amiss, but every time she felt like she was getting closer to the problem, the cause would simply slip though her fingers. It was beginning to drive her to the point of insanity.

"Speaking of insanity," she thought glumly as Misato walked into her lab.

"Rits, we need to talk." Ritsuko could swear she saw Misato thumb something in her pocket as she entered the room but thought little of it.

"I apologize Major, but I am researching a problem for Commander Ikari and am indisposed at the moment." As if to accentuate her irritation, Misato turned off her monitor… she apparently wasn't going to wait.

"Sorry Ritz but this is important. And we both know who Ikari really is… don't we?"

"I see," she responded. "If you are attempting to get information out of me about the current agenda of the Doctor, I am afraid I can not oblige."

"Come on Rits," Misato almost pleaded. "We used to be closer than this. Stop talking like a goddamned robot and help me!"

The look on Misato's face stirred a long hidden emotion deep within Ritsuko. "The room is tapped." She whispered.

Misato pulled out the device she had in her pocket showing it to her briefly.

"I see," Doctor Akagi replied. "I do not know the extent of what he is planning… I do not even know the extent by which I am under his control."

"His control?" Misato looked at her worriedly. "What do you mean?"

"I… have been having brief flashes of memory… bits and pieces… I know he… did something to me, something to guarantee my obedience but I have no idea how he did it. It is as if part of my memory was simply erased."

"My god Ritz… why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"As I said, I was under his control… still am to some extent. If he gives me an order, I am compelled to obey. But then… I forget things… things that were part of his orders, things I have seen… witnessed… it is a blur, as if as soon as I have fulfilled my obligations, anything that could trace back to him is simply wiped out of my memory."

Misato felt a sickening feeling rise in her throat. That Doctor Doom was capable of this level of evil was even beyond what she figured was possible. She would never underestimate the lengths he would go again.

"I know Doom has something over Exodus… do you know what it is?"

Risuko looked down. "Poor Kaji… a pawn, then the pawn of another and now the pawn of yet another."

"What do you mean?"

"I… I do not know… but he is a pawn that is certain… he serves too many masters, but I know not which one he truly serves…."

"Rits… please, you have to know something more than that."

Risuko sat down and held her head as if struggling to find an answer. "Terminal Dogma," she said at last. "The answers you seek lie within the bowels of NERV. But you will never get there. Only Doom can bypass the security."

With that she turned on the monitor. "I must finish this project… the Doctor commands it of me… I must work now. Please leave me alone."

A pang of guilt swept over Misato. Risuko was just another pawn of Doctor Doom… and she wondered just how many people within NERV this madman somehow subjugated to his will.

* * *

**America**

Commander White was not enthused with the new guest. He hadn't even got her name yet and already she was acting like she owned the entire operation… but worst of it was that others were listening to her. He finally decided it was time to confront this girl. He wasn't going to release Unit 03 without proper clearance.

He and his two bodyguards, stout MPs with more muscle that brains, made their way down the scaffolding to the massive cage where EVA 03 sat in cooling fluid, being readied for transfer to Tokyo-3. There in front was a girl in a military dress uniform, skirt and beret, like some Special Forces liaison. He never noticed her rank insignia.

"Just who the hell do you think you are young lady?" he trumpeted.

The girl, dark blue hair and red eyes didn't even turn to face him and simply held out a military ID in a flip wallet. The Commander snatched it from her and looked at it. He about had a heart attack.

"M-My apologies… General Xavier," he stammered out while saluting. The MPs with him noticeably straightened their posture. "I didn't realize it was you. I was expecting someone…."

"Male?" she snapped then finally turned towards him. "Chauvinism is not something I tolerate Commander, and you would do well to remember that." Though this girl looked barely 16 or so, the way she conducted herself told White everything he needed to know. This was Commander Ikari's liaison, someone he just totally jacked up his first impression with.

"My deepest apologies, ma'am… I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing more of it Commander. You'll find that I do forgive, if but once for a slight. I was told that EVA 03 would be ready for transport when I arrived. Yet it is still in its cage immersed in coolant. Would you like to elaborate as to why that is?"

"We were not expecting you for another week, General. However if Commander Ikari has moved up the timetable, then we can get 03 ready for transport within the hour."

"This is acceptable. I don't know why you did not receive word that 03 was being moved ahead of schedule but I certainly can't fault you if you were not told. However, if I find out that you were made aware, there will be repercussions. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly transparent, General. We'll have her ready to go shortly."

"Very well. I'll be in the lab. Please inform me when we are ready to move. Dismissed."

With that White, saluted and went back to his business with both MPs in tow. He had to make sure the unit was ready when he said it would be. Any delays and he understood that General Xavier would have his head.

"Didn't even so much as question me," Onslaught thought to herself. "These Lilum really are so easy to manipulate it's almost pathetic. Who would honestly believe a 16 year old girl could be a General?" True, she did use a bit of mental manipulation to make sure things went smoother, but she wondered if that would have even been necessary.

Though her powers were certainly helpful… Onslaught realized the alternate persona she was given for interactions with the Lilum by her master would serve her even better. The persona of General Mari Xavier, head of NERV Defense Force Alpha , or NDFA for short, and primary courier to Gendo Ikari, Supreme Commander of NERV. Yes, this would be her greatest tool for the time being.

As she turned to walk towards the labs, she heard machinery start up and saw that 03 was being lifted out of the coolant for preparations to move. This massive masterpiece of an EVA impressed even Onslaught. And she knew that only his power and his control over resources could have possibly brought such a thing into reality. It only fueled her loyalty to him. He was power, and she was an instrument of that power, therefore was she not also power? Truly father was to be praised for his uncanny leadership and intelligence!

"Hail Doom," she whispered to herself with a sadistic smile creeping over her face.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

There should have been school today… but with all the damage from the angel attacks combined with the constant threat of another Superwoman vs Supervillan battle taking place in the streets, the school was shut down. People were beginning to leave the city in droves now, not that Shinji couldn't blame them. In a way he was happy to see them go, now there was no chance of them getting caught in the crossfire.

A knock at his apartment door awoke him from his thoughts. He proceeded to the door and pressed the button to open it… standing there was a surprise.

"Hello Ikari-san!" came the voice of a seemingly ecstatic Aida Kensuke.

"Kensuke? What are you doing here?! I thought you left the city with the rest of the students?"

"Considering Hikari opted to stay and you're still here, I figured I might as well hang out and see what happens. Besides, I figure I might get to see more of those wonderful EVA's in action!"

"Still the military otaku huh?" Shinji said with a slight chuckle.

"And proud of it! Say, where is your girlfriend?"

"Resting in the bedroom, so try not to wake her up. Come in, I'll make you some tea."

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later**

Tea was laid out for the pair as they sat across from each other. "So, what brings you out here? Boredom?"

"Not quite… Bishop."

Shinji's face took a bit more serious of a turn. "How did you find out so fast? I just underwent that little episode recently."

"I was in the café across the street from where you and Exodus were fighting it out in the rain. I recognized you but I kept it to myself. When I saw the way Storm was hanging on you, I realized who she was immediately."

Shinji sighed. "You didn't tell anyone did you?"

"My lips are sealed. Besides I've done so much for you, her, Hikari and the rest of my friends that it would be bad form for me to reveal your secret. However I do think I can now offer my services more directly from here on out."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Mayumi and Hikari have both been hitting me up for bug detectors and White Noise Generators. Did I mention I have a good idea that Hikari is actually Spirit? Am I wrong?" Shinji shook his head indicated that he wasn't. "Figured. Anyway, if I had access to more tech, I could build all manner of stuff for you, her, Spirit and whoever else might need it."

"In other words, I'm Batman and you want to be Lucius Fox."

"Come on Bishop. I have all these ideas but no where near enough material to implement them! And I really think they'll help you out in the long run."

"Ok ok!" Shinji caved with a chuckle. "You can be Fox. I'll have to dig into savings a bit but I think I can get you what you need. You have shopping list?"

"Of course! What, did you think I'd be unprepared?"

"Not you, never." He chuckled.

"Wait just a minute," came the voice of Mayumi as she walked in, still a little sleepy eyed. "You can't just go to a store and buy that kind of stuff, you have to be more careful. Work though fronts and the like. I had to do that to make my costume just so that I wouldn't attract undo attention.

"Speaking of costumes," Kensuke interjected, "You have any ideas for yours?"

Shinji blinked a few times. "I haven't even thought about it yet. Do I have to have one?"

"Of course you do! It's like an unwritten law of super-heroism or something!"

Shinji laughed at that. "Ok, I'll look into costume ideas, you and Mayumi can work out how to get the stuff you need without arousing suspicion and come up with a cost estimate."

"Right-o boss!"

Mayumi walked over to Shinji who was now working on getting himself a glass of water.

"Are you sure he's trustworthy?" she asked.

"You almost know him better than me May-chan."

She smiled. "You're right."

* * *

**Somewhat Later**

Misato carefully made her way though the bowels of NERV. She's been here for hours but hasn't found anything like what Risuko had eluded to.

"This is hopeless," she whispered. "I don't have the foggiest idea where to look. I could wander for hours down here without ever finding anything important." With a sigh she walked back to the elevator.

As it proceeded up, she thought about what happened to Ritsuko, and knew she didn't want to end up like that. Shinji would never forgive her if that happened.

Just then, her thoughts were silenced as the elevator stopped well before the floor she was heading for. The door opened and there stood the last person she wanted to see right now, Ryoji Kaji.

"You son-of-a…", but she was cut off as he grabbed her mouth proceeded in and reset the elevator to go back down again.

He let go of her mouth and snapped, "Shut up and listen. You've been trying to get to the bottom of what's happening down here haven't you? I can light you way."

"Oh? And what's it gonna cost me?"

"Nothing. I'm sick of being Doom's pawn… and if the only way I can get back at him is to muck up his plans, then so be it."

Misato had seen that look in Kaji's eyes before… he was a man who was fed up with how things are turning out, and he was taking a stand. But she'd been fooled by him before….

"Why should I trust you?"

Kaji laughed at that. "I wouldn't. I killed Mayumi's mother, and I would have killed her given the chance. Hell I would have killed you all, but Doom wants Shinji, and for the time being Mayumi, alive. You as well I heard, and if I were you, I'd worry about the why."

Misato thought about that and shuddered. Who only knew what he was planning.

"You're taking an awful risk taking me down into Terminal Dogma, why? Couldn't you have found a better way to give me the info?"

"Would you prefer I left you a heart-felt message on your answering machine?"

* * *

**A Few Moments Later**

The doors opened into a corridor Misato had never seen before. The hallway was dark, little more than the emergency lights were active.

"I'm going to warn you, what you are about to see will be shocking to say the least."

Misato waved it off. "I don't think very much will surprise me anymore."

"Sure about that?" he asked as he opened the double doors into the main hall.

Immediately, Misato realized that Kaji was not kidding. To the left, a massive machine was pumping LCL from the lake before her into another machine. Above that where incubation tubes where half formed Rei's writhed as if in ecstasy. Slowly the tubes ran around a track towards the ceiling where they were being moved into some form of aquarium full of LCL. She noticed that the further along the track the tubes were, the more developed the clones appeared. Within the massive aquarium, numerous fully grown Reis floated and swam, giggling as they did so. And before her on the otherside of the cavernous area was an Angel, nailed to a massive red cross. Its legs were gone and its hands dripped blood into the LCL. No, she realized, the blood itself was LCL.

"What… in… God's… name…."

"At first the Rei clones were to be used as backups for the Dummy Plug System that Gendo was working on. Now however, it appears he is attempting to mass produce them. Beyond these machines down the pathway to your left is a massive forge where a machine is creating a special metal for use in armor and weapons for the clones. It seems as if he's attempting to create a Clone Army."

"Oh, my God," Misato whispered.

"I don't know what other plans he has set in place, but they must all stem from this."

"And the angel?" she whispered pointing with an unsteady hand towards the crucified form of Lilith.

"Obviously the source of LCL itself. And what do you think has been luring the Angels to Tokyo-3?"

"Jesus."

"He doesn't live here," came a voice from the shadow. Misato and Kaji turned quickly to see what it was. Instinctively, Kaji moved Misato behind him as the girl seemed to materialize out of thin air.

She looked faintly like Rei, but her hair was much longer and braided. It was mostly black with streaks of azure. She wore a fingerless plugsuit of pure black with steel grey highlights and details, and her face held sadistic malice.

"And you are?" Kaji hissed.

"I am known as Deathstrike… Lady Deathstrike," she replied putting particular emphasis on her title. "I have been watching you Exodus. Letting Doctor Doom's secrets out are we?" she waggled her finger at him as she stepped forward and began popping her knuckles.

"I'm sick of being his pawn," he snapped.

"I've been following you since before you met up with your ex-girlfriend there. Needless to say, you are a dead man walking."

"I've been at this far longer than you, bitch. I'll be walking out of here and you won't be."

Realizing a fight was about to break out, Misato took off down one of the paths to try to get some distance. Deathstrike paid her no heed as she simply smiled sadistically at Kaji.

"You are the one who's out of your league." Without a further word she launched forward with inhuman speed and slammed Exodus hard enough to send him into the LCL.

Exodus (now in costume) launched himself out of the LCL and unleashed a blast of pure force at Deathstrike's current location. She nimbly side-flipped out of the way, but the walkway in front of the exit blew apart spectacularly. Misato looked back realizing she wasn't getting out that way, which was a problem since she didn't know if there were any other exits out.

Exodus looked around as the smoke cleared, trying to find her current location when suddenly he was jumped from behind. He swung himself around in mid air tying to dislodge her, but her knees were pinned into his sides. A sound like a series of blades running across a sharpening stone caught his ear, and the next thing he knew he had 10 blades sticking out of his chest from behind. He yelled out in pain and slammed himself backwards into a wall. A hurtful sound escaped her lips but she did not dislodge. Instead as he left the wall, she ripped out the blades slammed them back into him again causing even more pain.

"I'm going to tear you apart piece by bloody piece," she hissed.

With a quick spin, he finally dislodged her. Firing a blast of energy into her as she flew back. She slammed into the wall hard but was able to recover on the way down, dragging her claws through the rock to slow her decent. Exodus then sent a metals support towards her at subsonic velocity but she scrambled up the wall at an incredible rate and easily avoided the attack.

"Can't fly can you?" Exodus hissed triumphantly… then she disappeared which ended his mirth.

"I don't need to," she hissed. Exodus released several blasts of energy in the direction he heard the sound but hit nothing.

"I don't mind blowing this place to kingdom come! I'll get you eventually"

"No you won't." He spun towards the sound and found her leaping off the wall right into him, forcing him into the cave wall with enough force to go through it.

In the next chamber, Misato found a storage room and was trying to find a place to hide here when the wall behind her blew open causing her to hit the deck. Exodus hit the ground hard with Deathstrike on top of him. She slashed downwards only to have her hands caught as Exodus unloaded on her with his eyebeams. At first the shot punched through the outer layers of her plugsuit but they hit the layer of f-LS armor beneath it and could penetrate no further. She head butted him throwing off his hold and slamming her blades into his chest again causing more pain. Each time she did so, the blades seemed to get closer and closer to his core. If he didn't act quickly, she'd zero in on his core and end him.

Getting his legs under her, he threw her off sending a mammoth blast of pure force in her direction. Misato at that moment ran into the next chamber, unnoticed by either of the two super powered combatants.

What she found in the next room did not impress her. It looked like some kind of power generator the size of a large truck with a few warning signs on it. It was a miniature fusion power plant and it probably ran all the machinery down here. As she backed off trying to find another way out, the wall behind her collapsed again and Exodus slammed into the reactor hard enough to cause it to tip slightly.

It whined at the misuse but continued pumping out electricity. A heavy slash by Deathstrike's left hand sent Exodus into the air again. She jumped at him and slammed her right hand into his chest, skittering off the surface of his core, but now she felt it and knew exactly where it was. Exodus hit the ground hard as Deathstrike landed on him.

"Time for you to die, traitor," she said triumphantly. "Give my regards to the devil when you see him."

In a last ditch effort to survive Exodus unleashed as much energy into his eyebeams as possible. The hit from the blast punched though the f-LS plating and sent Deathstrike off of him at a high rate of speed. She slammed into the fusion reactor causing the casing on it to crack and then shatter violently. Alarms blared as the front side of the reactor blew off. The explosion knocked Misato off her feet and a good thirty feet into the next chamber. Here she collided head first violently with a large metal crate and went unconscious.

The safety systems in the reactor finally triggered and stopped the chain reaction from causing a meltdown, but radiation alarms were going off, and the chamber was flooded with gamma rays from the reactor. Deathstrike got back to her feet realizing the emergency shielding was coming down like an anvil and managed to get out before it was too late. Exodus realized that Misato wasn't in the room and did the only thing he could do… he teleported out.

In the cargo chamber Misato lay with her head bleeding slowly. Deathstrike walked up to her in a slinky almost seductive manner. "What do we have here? It looks like you're time is up Major Katsuragi." She re-extended her blades and prepared to finish her off but then she remembered that Doctor Doom still needed her.

"She'll be too much of a risk knowing what she knows," she whispered and noticed she was waking up. Her eyes were open but she was feeling around like she couldn't see.

"Major?" she asked tentatively.

"Rei? Is that you?" she said weakly.

"Interesting," Deathstrike thought to herself. "She thinks I'm the original."

"I… I can't see anything... Where am I?"

"In one of the cargo bays Major," she said in a level and emotionless tone, trying to sound as much like Ayanami as possible. "You have had an accident. Can you move?"

"No," she whispered. "What kind of accident?"

"Unfortunately, a bad one. You appear to have suffered head trauma, what is the last thing you remember?"

"… I… I remember arriving for work, and I remember getting the status reports from the bridge crew and then… nothing…. It's a complete blank."

"Easy Major, you have likely suffered a concussion. Just rest, help is coming."

Misato barely nodded before she blacked out again.

"You're lucky Major," Deathstrike whispered. "You get to live another day…."

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**End of Chapter 16**

* * *

Whew! Sorry I've been gone for so long, its been a helluva year. Not going to get into details but it has not been a picnic let me tell you.

Again thanks to everyone who has commented on or helped inspire this story.

**DISCLAIMER:** Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX, I do not own the souce material nor do I profit from it. All Marvel Characters are owned by their respective owner, it's Disney now isn't it? Either way, not mine.

See you next chapter


	17. Skies of Green, Part II

**Dislcaimer:** It should be obvious by now that I own nothing.

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**Chapter XVII: Skies of Green, Part II**

* * *

Shinji had been in this position before, and so had Rei on more than one occasion in her life. But this was new to Misato, and she dreaded knowing exactly what it meant. When she opened her eyes after a long period of unconsciousness, she was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.

"I'm in a NERV hospital," she thought glumly. "And my head hurts… a lot."

She heard the door open and turned her head slightly to see who was coming in, though she probably could have guessed long before it happened. Her doctor was here to see her.

"I see that you are awake Major," Doctor Akagi said evenly. "How do you feel."

"Like my head was used as a battering ram. What the hell happened to me Rits?"

Ritsuko sat on a chair next to the bed and crossed a leg over to better brace her clipboard as she began to write on it. "You were found in one of the supply bays. A heavy box had somehow fallen on you from above. You suffered a skull fracture and a minor concussion. Are you able to see ok now?"

Misato nodded slightly she slowly reached up to touch her head finding it bandaged up. "What the hell was I doing down there?"

"You do not remember?" she asked questioningly. Misato shook her head and upon seeing that Risuko pulled out a small device that Misato recognized as one of Kensuke's White Noise Generators. "Let me refresh your memory. You came to me when I was working on a project for The Doctor, do you remember that?"

Flashes of memory began to come back to Misato, the conversation, looking in the bowels of NERV for some way to access this 'Terminal Dogma' Ritsuko spoke of, but everything beyond was a total blur.

Misato relayed what she remembered. "I didn't find it."

"I believe you were looking in the wrong place. It does not matter now. Since the incident, The Doctor has increased security over the entire section. You will never make it there now, even if you had support."

Misato's head lay back upon her pillow and she sighed a disappointed sigh. "So much for that idea…."

"You really should not try to interfere with The Doctor's plans; it can only end badly for you."

"Does Commander Ikari suspect anything?"

"No, thankfully. I would not want to see you hurt over your curiosity."

"Yeah," she replied with a slight tinge of fear in her voice, "I think we both know what Doom is capable of."

Ritsuko reached over and shut off the device signaling the end of their covert conversation. "You are recovering quite fast, you should be able to go home tonight but I do not suggest driving yourself. I can take you home."

"I owe you one Rits," she said with a half smile.

"Think nothing of it, I will be by around 7ish to get you." With that, Doctor Akagi stood up and left the room.

Misato stared back up at the ceiling and only one thought crossed her mind at that point.

"Shinji is going to kill me…."

* * *

**The Office of Gendo Von Doom**

At that moment, Kozo was finishing up the damage report for Doctor Doom. Lady Deathstrike stood dispassionately to the left of the desk while Doom had his customary pose as he listed to the details of what happened.

"Bottom line, the Fusion Generator will take about 2 days to bring back up, but the battle in Terminal Dogma damaged about 60 percent of the developing clones and did major damage to the forge facilities. Also about 20 of the storage has been lost in the combat. I estimate your time table will need to be adjusted by at least a week if not two."

For the moment silence reigned as Gendo seem to be calculating things in his head. Without turning in the direction he simply said, "Report" to Deathstrike.

"Exodus led Major Katsuragi down into Terminal Dogma, I caught up with them unfortunately after they entered the chamber. I tried to finish Exodus quickly but he proved more resilient then even I anticipated. The battle spilled over into a storage bay and then into the reactor room. When the reactor was damaged, I escaped before the emergency blast doors came down. I can only assume that Exodus teleported out as I was unable to get to him in time."

"I see. It seems you were right Deathstrike, Exodus could not be trusted. Hunt him down and destroy him." She nodded and began to leave. "And Deathstike…" she stopped looking back. "Do not fail me again."

"I'll rip his head off and bring it to you on a platter. Hail Doom!" And with that she faded away.

Kozo stared in that direction for a moment. "Do you think she'll succeed?" he asked.

"Not at first," Gendo replied evenly. "Exodus is a crafty opponent when he needs to be. But eventually she will prevail. This mission will serve to strengthen her for the tasks ahead of her."

"The consul," Kozo offered. "So you are going through with it then?"

"Once the last angel has been defeated, Deathstrike and the others will focus their efforts on destroying the SEELE consul."

"One problem, you never did find out where Keel is hiding."

"Irrelevant. I don't need Exodus to find him. I have other methods of locating prey."

* * *

**Across Town, at the Ryoji Residence**

Asuka awoke to the sound of Kaji coming in and almost falling over. She quickly ran to his side and helped him up into a more standing position.

"What happened my Engel?" Asuka had taken to calling Kaji Angel in German as a term of endearment. Kaji for his part actually liked the moniker.

"My plan failed," he said flatly. "Misato remembers nothing of what I showed her, and I almost got killed by one of Doom's minions." Then a sadistic smile crossed his face. "But there is good news."

"That being?"

"When Deathstrike attempted to puncture my core on her last attempt she missed, but she hit the device Doom put inside me to keep me under control. Its irreparably damaged now… the leash is finally off!"

Asuka hugged him tightly. "This is good news, but what will you do now?"

"I need to get in contact with my original employers… the SEELE consul. They have to know what's happening within NERV."

Asuka frowned a bit at that. "Am I going to loose my job? I don't wanna lose EVA! You know what she means to me!"

"No, no, you won't," he consoled. "You are still needed, as am I. But Doom has become too dangerous to be allowed to continue operating so unchecked. SEELE must take direct action against him."

"And the Third Child?"

"Bishop will likely be a barrier to progress."

Asuka's eyes fixed in anger, her voice took a more chilling turn. "I want revenge. I want him to know he can't get away with what he did to me!" Her left hand gently traced the marks on her neck. "Can you make me like you?"

Kaji's angelic half nearly screamed with joy at that prospect. Granting the child immortality would remove the last barrier Vahu had to becoming one with her. But the human side still had control.

"You don't know what you're asking," he said darkly.

"I do. I know it's the real reason you won't make love to me. I know it's what's holding you back, worrying about pointless barriers and my personal weakness in the face of so many superpowered cretins. This is what I want, I want your love, and I want power! I want to be able to take revenge on Shinji on my own terms. I'll make him suffer for what he has done to us!"

The fire in her soul was what made her so endearing to him. Despite the damage to her heart, her spirit was powerful. He could only imagine what kind of warrior she would make if he did bring her across the gulf and made her an Angel.

Yes, with her at his side, he could finally fulfill the desires Adam set him out to complete, and end humanity's reign on Earth. From the ashes left over from the catastrophe to come, Exodus could build a new and superior race of beings and Adam's desires would be fulfilled.

"Once the process begins," he said gravely, "it can not be reversed. Are you certain you want this?"

"More than anything," she said barely above a whisper. A small tear trailed from her left eye. "Please don't deny me this, my Engel. Please."

The glow in his eyes signaled Exodus's appearance. "Very well," he said in a voice closer to that of Exodus. "Wish granted."

He pushed her back onto the couch and before she could respond he lifted her shirt revealing her stomach to him. Using his left hand he held her down by just below the neck and slipped his right hand beneath the center span of her bra to touch the place on her chest closest to her heart. Asuka breathed hard with excitement as she had never been touched there by him before and tried to relax. She felt heat emanating from his right hand as it stayed in contact with her skin and the heat became searing. Her hands grasped onto him as she whined with the pain as his hand pushed past her personal AT Field and into her chest cavity where he could caress her heart.

"Just hold on my love," Kaji said softly, but she heard it even over the sound of her own pained moans. "It will be over soon."

The pain reached its peak and she screamed out in mixed pain and pleasure. Inside her body a flash of energy erupted at that moment, and within her heart, a small S2 Engine formed, barely the size of a cherry pit. But in a few hours it would be bigger than a walnut.

The pain receded at last and Asuka breathed hard as he removed his hand from her body. Gently Exodus rubbed the spot where his hand was contacting her chest to sooth the pain. His ward collapsed into the sofa trying to recover from the experience which felt like the height of elation and the deepest depths of pain at the same time.

As she began to slip into unconsciousness, he removed his hand from her body and covered her back up again. He found the blanket he always kept around to ward off her advances and covered her in it. Then he kissed her cheek, ever so softly.

"And now my love," he whispered, "you will become one of us."

* * *

**Hours Later**

Mayumi sped over the Pacific Ocean using the jet stream as an additional boost to get her where she was going faster. She had sensed the arrival of Bardiel and was intent on stopping it, but now she was speeding with a slightly different purpose.

The plan originally was to confront Bardiel and attempt to talk him out of attacking, and if that failed, trap his misty form within a permanent tornado until he saw reason. However on the way, Bardiel contacted her and begged her to help him. Something else was attacking him… something powerful.

So this turned into a rescue mission. Shinji wanted to come of course but since the battle was over the open ocean high in the sky, and he lacks the ability to fly, she had to do this herself. Spirit for some unknown reason was AWOL.

Still, this wouldn't be the first time she faced a threat solo before, so she wasn't really worried. She had no idea what was waiting for her in the skies above.

As she neared the location of the battle, she had to dodge a large cargo plane carrying EVA 03. In the distance she saw an explosion and heard the death-shriek of Bardiel.

"I'm too late," Storm thought sadly. Then she saw what was in its place.

The form wore a blue and red plugsuit with several heavy plates of armor around the shoulders, chest, legs and arms. The gauntlets looked clawed and the figure was topped with dark blue hair. She turned towards Storm as she approached, only her blood red right eye was visible, the other hidden behind her hair.

"Took you long enough," she hissed. "I was beginning to wonder if the great Storm would honor me with her presence."

Storm stopped in mid air, her cloak floating about her. "And you are?" she asked with malice.

"Mari Xavier," she said without ceremony. "But you can call me Onslaught. I am a member of the Doom Guard."

"That's not reassuring," Storm thought to herself.

"I've been looking forward to this," Onslaught continued.

"Oh? I don't know if you noticed, be we're in my element out here. If we fight now, you'll be at a severe disadvantage."

"You think so?" She replied with a half chuckle. "I see it as a challenge."

"Come then," Storm offered. "I'll show you your folly."

Without another word, Onslaught flew at her at a great velocity. Storm dodged and unleashed a massive bolt of electricity at her. The energy however hit some kind of shield and dissipated. At first she thought it was her AT Field but she was nullifying that. This was another line of defense, some kind of magnetic shield.

Onslaught turned as the bolt hit her and threw her left claw forward unleashing five pulses of energy that followed Storm as she attempted to dodge them. Onslaught then flew to her left anticipating her movement and charged a blast of high energy plasma in her left hand. As Storm dodged the last of the pulses before they dissipated she was blindsided by the superheated blast of energy. The pain lancing though her made her scream out and she quickly conjured rain to cool the burn.

Now in a darkened sky over the ocean with rain and lighting around them, the two combatants were at each other's throats. Storm nimbly dodged the claws and sent several well placed kicks and punches Onslaught's way, but each hit seemed to do nothing against her other than make her chuckle. A swipe of her left claw caught Storm across the midsection, and an aerial axe kick sent her falling several thousand feet before she corrected herself and stopped the fall.

After her recovery, she attempted to get enough distance to conjure Thor's Hammer, hoping it would punch though the magnetic shield she seemed to focus when the battle was outside of melee range. Onslaught flew at her persistently, but was unable to catch up in time for Storm to unleash the nine thunderbolts of Thor. Realizing even her supreme speed could not dodge what was coming; she adjusted her shield, overlapping the rear layer to the front. This stopped 6 out of 9 of the powerful bolts, the other 3 slammed her hard knocking her out of the sky, but she recovered after falling only 300 feet.

Onslaught quickly changed direction and slammed into Storm hard, before she could recover she grabbed her by her side, digging in the claw and then throwing her hard towards the sea, following up the throw with a heavy telekinetic blast to speed he decent. It took Storm almost too long to recover and she stopped barely 10 feet above the sea. She looked up in time to see Onslaught diving at her and quickly flew away. The evil one slammed into the ocean only to resurface and go airborne a mere 2 seconds later over 40 feet away from where she went in.

Storm at that point conjured 2 massive waterspouts and sent them at Onslaught with all possible speed. She managed to dodge the first one but the second one caught her and pulled her in. Storm pulled her hands back conjuring up as much electrical energy as she could and fired it all directly into the twister turning it into a massive column of electrified water.

Her victory was short-lived as Onslaught threw a massive telekinetic blast in every direction strong enough to cause the sea over 50 feet below her to bow inwards like a crater for over 300 feet in all directions and completely dissipate the waterspout. The force blew Storm almost into the sea but she skipped off of the surface like a rock and managed to recover and get the wind under her again. She remembered her battle with Gaghiel almost ending badly because she ended up in the drink. Somehow Onslaught knew how hard it was for her to get back out of the water if she got into it and was trying to use that fact to her advantage.

Onslaught flew at her again suddenly finding that the rain was turning into pelts of ice and sticking to her, trying to weigh her down. As she fell towards the water, she reached her hand down. Storm didn't know what she was doing until a sunken battleship arose from the water, its deck barely above the surface and Onslaught landed on it. As it rose further from the water Onslaught took a wide stance and held her arms out to her side like she was trying to lift two heavy weights at the same time.

Storm watched in horror as the deck of the ship started ripping up, and the main supports of the superstructure that were still intact bent out of the ship and pointed towards her. She was also able to tell from her ability to see the EM spectrum that she was not using telekinesis to do this, she was using magnetics.

"You're not the only one who can manipulate metal Storm," she called over the roar of the ocean and weather. "And I'm better at it than you could ever hope to be." With a final grunting sound and a lifting gesture, the top levels of the battleship seemed to come apart as Onslaught began to float off of the derelict ship. Many massive beams of metal, rusted out turrets and even part of the main control tower of the ship were lifted into the air.

Storm couldn't believe this display of power. She never imagined this level of magnetic control was even possible. Getting her wits back about her, she launched a barrage of lightning at Onslaught to try and distrupt her but the bolts didn't seem to phase her as much, though it's obvious she felt the effects. With throwing gestures, the massive metal missiles floating around Onslaught began to launch at Storm with tremendous velocity.

The young superwoman had no choice but to concentrate on aerial dodging, she dipped below and around the massive superstructure beams and several turrets, but one of them managed to clip her. She felt her shoulder buckle on the hit and yelled out. Then she felt the magnetic force grab her by her armor now that her defenses were down. It threw her into the ships now floating control tower at high speed then pushed away as both her costume and the tower acquired the same magnetic charge. Suddenly the tower switched polarity causing her to slam into it again and hold her there. Her dislocated shoulder seemed to scream in pain as her arms and legs were pulled into a spread eagle posture. She groaned in pain from the strain on her poor shoulder.

Onslaught floated before her as Storm desperately tried to use her own magnetic manipulation skills to free herself but failed to do so. She realized she was completely at the mercy of Onslaught.

"Lucky for you, young Storm, Doctor Doom doesn't desire to kill you just yet." A chuckle escaped her lips as she said this.

"That's a switch," Storm grunted, "He tried to kill me once, why the change of heart?"

"Why indeed?" Onslaught responded. "I know not, and I care not. If it is Doom's will, then his will be done. Too bad about your brother in the sky, but its not like you could have reasoned with him anyway."

Storm struggled against the hold of the magnetic energy. "I would have liked the opportunity to try."

"I'm sure, as pointless as it would have been." She floated back away from her. "I've wasted too much time with you as it is. I'll be leaving now. In a few minutes the magnetic energy in the wreckage will dissipate. If you're lucky, you won't be underwater before then. Either way, I expect you will survive. I look forward to matching wits with you again." With that she turned away from storm and flew west back towards Japan.

With a grunt of effort, Storm managed to pop her shoulder back into place once the magnetic force weakened enough for her to get free. It hurt like hell but that was good. The pain kept her mind off of the humiliation of her last battle…

… Onslaught was holding back.

* * *

**Several Hours Later**

Misato walked into her apartment to find the place sparking clean as usual. Shinji was half passed out on the couch watching TV and Kensuke was playing with something on the table involving tools.

"Heya Kensuke," she said happily.

"Good evening Misato-san!" he said in cheerful but sing-song way. It made her giggle, the boy was so transparent it was laughable.

"What'cha working on?"

"He's been unceremoniously inducted into the 'Hall of Justice'," Shinji said jokingly. "He knows about me and the girls and he wanted to help more directly."

"I'm currently working on a communications module," Kensuke said as he returned to is work. "It's so we can keep in contact during missions. I'm setting it up to work though the SAT-COM network from before Second Impact so it can't be traced easily. It will also have an emergency beacon and a locater beacon in just in case."

"Good thinking," Misato commented.

"Could have used that sooner," came the voice of Mayumi as she struggled into house via the balcony, her costume once again showing signs of abuse.

"May-chan what happened!" Shinji asked as he jumped to his feet to help her in.

"Bardiel is dead, but I didn't kill him," she began. "I ran into a member something called 'The Doom Guard'. She called herself Onslaught but used her real name first; Mari Xavier."

"Wait," Misato cut, "you don't mean General Mari Xavier of the NDFA?"

"Has to be the same person, she certainly didn't care to hide herself from me."

"Overconfident bitch," Misato hissed.

It was then that Shinji saw it. It was barely noticeable but he caught it, though in all honesty he wasn't sure he actually did see it or not. It almost looked like Misato's eyes had flashed a shade of green for just a moment. But it wasn't just that… he felt a pulse of energy from her that couldn't have been possible. He resolved to get it out of his mind for the time being, they had other problems now.

"Are you going to be ok, May-chan?" he asked.

"I'll be fine, she just roughed me up a bit. She's incredibly powerful though, I know I didn't see her full capabilities today."

"Well," Misato said at length sounding a bit calmer. "It's late. You should get some sleep Mayumi. You too Shinji-kun."

"Hai," they both said simultaneously.

* * *

**The Next Day**

"S34 to Base, S34 to Base, come back, over."

The sound came from a group of 5 men in covert ops uniforms on a building overlooking one of the many access points into NERV. They were set up with surveillance equipment and long range weaponry.

"Roger S34 we read you. What's your status, over."

"The bed is made, but the children haven't come home yet, over."

"Understood S34 keep us posted, base out."

"I hate these recon jobs," one of the men commented.

"Just sit tight," the leader snapped. "They want us here, so we're here. No use complaining about it."

The sound of footsteps on the upper terrace got their attention and they spun quickly around to see who had intruded on their nest. What they saw surprised them.

"You know," the girl began, "I've stopped purse snatchers, foiled bank robberies and even scolded a few jay-walkers. You guys must think you're big time to be staking out NERV."

The girl that stood on the terrace above them was dressed in a blue plugsuit with black detailing and was sleeveless. Some form of goggles were set over her eyes, tinted dark enough to hide them. Her hands were covered in fingerless gloves that appeared to be the same material as the suit only were also dark, and there were actual boots built into the suit, also black and with thicker soles than usual. Adroning the right side of the chest area was a black circle with a white background displaying the number '4'.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the men scolded disdainfully.

"You can call me Ms Fantastic, and you're in my neighborhood, apparently up to no good. Sorry, but I have to take you down."

"It's her," one of the them said and he swiveled silenced machine gun in her direction. "Waste her!" And then he depressed the trigger.

To their horror, her skin turned into some form of orange rock and deflected the shots, even her plugsuit seemed to not be affected by the hail of fire. She jumped down, making the ground tremble for a moment under her suddenly increased weight and proceeded to grab one of the men, throwing them back into the side of the raised terrace. He blacked out on impact. One of the other men unloaded a pistol and point blank into her face but it did little to stop her. The orange stone gave way and the bullets seemed to bounce off her like rubber as her arm suddenly extended to inhuman lengths. It lashed itself around the man pinning his arms to his sides then pulled back quickly like the string on a yo-yo. The force caused him to whirl madly before falling to the ground, too dizzy to fight back.

One of the men came at her with a baton and struck but it seemed to be absorbed into her as her rubbery body closed around it. As she spun to face him the force ripped the weapon from his hand. A quick reach behind to her seemingly small pack allowed her to extract a device that looked like a thin metal clamp. Using her free arm she wrapped him up and attached the clamp around his mid section pinning his arms to his sides, then spun him as well to prevent him from taking any further part in this battle. Her body then dropped the lodged baton as something she wasn't expecting happened.

One of the remaining two threw his hands forward and launched a concussive blast from them throwing her from the roof into the street below. She hit the ground but the give of her rubbery body absorbed most of the impact.

"Ow, ok that was unexpected."

She looked up in time to see the other of the remaining 2 step off the building and float there with malice in his eyes.

"What the heck?" she exclaimed. "Was there some superpower bargain sale I wasn't made aware of?"

The floating mans hands seemed to conjure large metal spears in either one and he threw them with great velocity. She dodged nimbly, taking to the air herself but only a few feet of the ground. A blast of asphalt and dust shot out from the impact points of the spears. Small blue motes of energy seemed to be emitting from her slim backpack, appearing to be some form of flight pack. Ms Fantastic then threw her right arm out extended it and whipped it at the nearest heavy object she could find which was a mailbox. It wrapped around it quickly and with a jolt from that shoulder ripped it out of the ground.

"Special delivery!" she yelled as she used the rubberized arm to launch the box at the airborne man faster than he could possibly dodge it. It hit him directly sending him into the upper terrace and out of sight.

Mister Concussive up on the roof however was still in action and jumped, sending a few concussive bolts down to street level below him to slow his fall. Once on his feet he slapped his hands together and created a shockwave that knocked Ms Fantastic out of the sky and into the building next to the NERV access point. At this point, numerous Section 2 Agents poured out of the entrance and began to open fire. The man fired a concussive blast straight down and rode the inertia up the building again and out of sight.

"Ok, now I'm unhappy," Ms Fantastic complained as she pulled herself off the wall, the marks from the bricks still visible in her skin and outfit as the rubbery body smoothed itself out. "And he's not escaping me. Flame on!" Her body instantly burst into flames and she flew out of the building after him, no longer relying on her hover-pack.

He was fast, she had to give him that much. It was obvious he couldn't fly but was able to use the force of his concussive blasts to easily scale tall buildings and make seemingly impossible jumps. She really didn't want to turn this into a running battle but realized he wasn't going to just simply lie down now.

Finally, she overtook him and landed ahead of him. He fired another concussive blast but her body flattened out catching it and then bouncing it back. The rebound hit him hard and sent him sprawling across the roof of the building.

"Are you done yet? I can do this all day but really, it's gonna start cutting into my schedule soon."

The man got up brushing himself off. "You're tougher than they said you would be."

"They?" she asked. "And who, pray-tell are they?"

"You'll find out soon enough," and at that he fired a concussive blast directly in front of Ms Fantastic which caused the roof to cave in. She wasn't ready for it and fell into the hole.

"No fair! I wasn't ready!" she yelled. Coughing, she tried to clear the dust away from her face in time to hear someone land on the roof above her.

"Hey! You okay down there?" She looked up and saw someone she was hoping to meet.

"Spirit! Am I glad to see you!" Ms Fantastic stood up and extended her legs so she could step out of the hole.

Spirit blinked in surprise. "Interesting talents you got there."

She chuckled at that. "You didn't happen to see a guy in a black combat uniform with the ability to throw concussive blasts around here have you?"

"No, did he do this to you?"

"Yeah, I let my guard down, didn't expect him to do that," she replied with some embarrassment. "I'm still new to this game I think. I'm trying though!"

Spirit chuckled. "Relax you're doing fine. Who was he with?"

"They, there were five of them, but it looks like only two had powers. And I don't know who they're working for," Ms Fantastic replied. "But I aim to find out. I know where they were staked out, but by now Section 2 will be all over it." She reached into her small backpack and extracted a hand held device. Spirit thought it looked suspiciously like some sensing device used in science-fiction.

"What's that?"

"It's a portable spectrometer, one of my own design." She scanned the area where the man fell down and the residual energy around the hole in the roof. "How is this possible? The energy this guy gave off is pattern Blue."

"Wait, they were angels?"

"No," she replied, "something else but definitely similar. I'll need to run these results in the lab."

"You have a lab?"

"Well not mine per se but…" and it was then that she realized she made a mistake.

"You work for NERV."

Ms Fantastic chuckled sheepishly. "Guess I need to work on not being so obvious."

"I'd say judging by your height and overall build; you're Maya Ibuki aren't you?"

A horrified look came over her face. "You won't tell anyone will you?"

"Of course not! We superwomen have to look out for each other. But if you trust me with this secret, it would be bad form for me not to trust you with other things. You're unique Ms Fantastic, and I think we have a spot for you on our team."

"Team?" she asked. "Me? Really?!"

"Absolutely," she replied. "Take this. I'll contact you when I can set up a meeting with the others. We could seriously use someone of your talents." She handed her one of the small communications devices Kensuke made for her.

Ms Fantastic examined it and was immediately impressed with the work. It looked very simple being a small disk the size of small plum in diameter and mostly flat. One side was completely flat but he other was raised in a symbol that looked like a circle with an X in the middle of it.

"X? What's that stand for?"

"Wish I knew; it was the designer's idea. Take care of yourself Ms Fantastic, and I'll contact you when the time is right."

She nodded in agreement and watched Spirit take wing. Then she opened her hand again and stared at the communicator. "All my life I wanted to be part of something great. I thought NERV was that something… but this… this feels right."

* * *

**Elsewhere, at the Ryoji Apartment**

"So you don't want me to interfere then?"

"You know the story now," Kaji replied. "You know why the angels attack, and you know the part I play in this. And yet you still want to help me?"

Asuka thought about it for a moment. Her entire life was spent in preparation for the Angel Wars, to destroy the messengers and protect the world. But after what Kaji… her Kaji had told her. It seemed wrong. Was her entire life spent working towards something that was a lie?

"What happens if the Angels win?"

"With Adam dead, a proper Third Impact can't happen. But I believe we can create one and a different scale. We can take this world for ourselves, only our kind would rule and eventually the humans will be no more. Our superiority is assured! Together we Angels will rebuild the world as a paradise. And you my Queen shall have the power you've always dreamed of."

It was seductive, that voice. No wonder he was called the Pure Speaker by his kin. She knew she would follow him to the ends of the Earth… and beyond if he desired it.

"What are you planning now?"

"It's ahead of schedule but I think its time for the Fourteenth Messenger to make his run. I'll send him after Doom. Let's see him deal with that." He turned back to her. "As far as your part however, you must get your stuff together and meet me at the safe house we discussed on what's left of Shikoku. It's only a matter of time before Deathstrike catches up with me. My meddling with my personal file at NERV should keep her off my tail but not for very much longer."

She stood up, still with the blanket wrapped around her. Though she was wearing her t-shirt and shorts beneath it, she felt cold from the slow but steady transformation coming over her. "Be careful my love," she whispered.

Kaji's reaction was to put an arm around her and kiss her deeply. All her life she wanted this and now that she finally had it, it was everything she hoped it would be. She could feel the energy within him in that kiss, and knew good times were waiting for her soon.

When they parted, they stared into each other eyes for a moment before Kaji finally spoke up. "Now go, I will be with you soon."

Asuka nodded and quickly began packing the room. Kaji turned towards the east and threw his mind outwards. "Zeruel… its time. Destroy Doom or die trying."

"_**By your will, father."**_

* * *

**Katsuragi Residence**

Shinji stood over Mayumi's sleeping form, glad to see her getting some kind of rest finally. The afternoon promised to be a peaceful one, at least until his cellphone went off. He quickly left the room before the noise woke her up. But it was already too late, she was awakened but it wasn't the phone that woke her up.

"Zeruel!" she half yelled as she bolted upright.

"_**Yes Ramiel, it is I, the fist of god! It is time to humble the lilum."**_

"Please don't do this," she whispered.

"What the?" Shinji half said as he looked around.

"What is it Shinji-kun?"

He blinked then looked at her. "I can hear him!"

"_**Ah, is that you Leliel? Or is it Bishop now? You killed my sister you pathetic child. And when I'm done with my current mission, you will be next."**_

"I'll stop you!" he yelled back with confidence.

"_**No, you won't."**_

The voice sounded closer, and when he turned towards the window, he could see Zeruel over the city. His faceplate flashed menacingly.

"Shinji!" Storm yelled as the air around him suddenly exploded with energy.

Outside the apartment building, the ground opened from the explosion and the entire building toppled down as if it were caught in a landslide.

* * *

**Shortly**

Kozo ran into Doom's office. "That explosion tore into the apartment complex where your son was."

Dispassionately, Gendo made seemingly no indication that is affected him in the least.

"Did you hear what I just said?" Kozo half yelled. "You're son could be dead!"

Gendo stood up slowly. "Do we have any pilots at all?"

Kozo should have seen that coming, he was in business mode now, and even if Shinji did die in the explosion, there's no way he would show emotion one way or another. "Only Rei. Section 2 lost track of the Second Child."

"Have her launch immediately. Zeruel is going to burst though the Geofront, so set her there will as much firepower as we can give her."

"We're not going to survive this are we?"

"Not without my son," he replied gravely.

On the Bridge, Moments Later

"Status report!" Misato yelled.

"The Fourteenth Angel just blew through 20 layers of armor in one shot! It'll punch its way into the Geofront within moments!" yelled Makoto.

"Rei has launched and is in intercept position. Still not word on the status of the Third Child." Hyuga's report was not encouraging.

"It fired before it started attacking the front. Where did that shot go?"

"We're still trying to triangulate that, but the damage topside is making this impossible."

"It's broken through!" yelled Mokoto.

Misato turned and saw the massive form of Zeruel floating down into the Geofront. EVA unit 00 stood on a grassy knoll surrounded with guns. Picking up to heavy caliber cannons, she spread her AT Field and began firing on the Angel seeming doing little in the way of damage to it. Two by two she continued unloading weaponry until there was nothing left to shoot.

"Our weapons aren't affecting it at all!" Misato yelled. "Rei, get out of there!"

"Negative Major," she replied dispassionately. "I must destroy the target. If I fail, it will penetrate the base and end us all."

Misato watched in horror as she picked up a large roughly canister shaped object with the letters N2 on the side and rushed at Zeruel like a linebacker.

"Rei are you insane?! You'll die!"

"I can be replaced," she said without missing a beat.

Blasts of energy flared around Rei as she dodged and weaved past the hail of fire coming off of the Angel. Ripples showed up in its skin revealing small crystal faucets that unleashed blasts of their own. Her EVA was getting pummeled, armor plates flying off like the shattered remains of an Eggshell exposed to a stick of dynamite. But despite the damage, despite her EVA's blood loss, she pushed though slamming into the AT Field and pushing though it holding the bomb ahead of her trying to reach its core. The moment before the AT Field gave way and the Mine was pushed through, a cover of some form closed over the core and the mine detonated.

The blast was incredible, especially this close to NERV HQ but when it cleared, EVA 00 was standing there charred and virtually armorless with its right arm blown off in the explosion. Two ribbon like projects unfurled from the untouched angel and tore though EVA 00 with impunity, ripping in two directions. The shattered remains of 00 crumpled into a pool of its own blood.

Zeruel then moved past the wreckage like so much useless waste.

"That's it…" Misato though gravely. "We're done."

The footsteps of the angel were as the footsteps of doom.

Makoto turned to Misato. "We just triangulated the first shot… it was at your apartment complex."

Misato's eyes widened. "No!" she whispered. "Shinji!"

The screen before her shattered as the huge form of Zeruel pushed its way through the screen, lowering its massive face towards the bridge.

"It killed Shinji…" she said barely above a whisper.

As Zeruel powered up for the killing blow, images flooded Misato's mind… her father, Second Impact… floating on the ocean… and the white giant that caused all of this…

"Adam…" she whispered.

In the instant Zeruel let loose a ridiculously powerful blast of energy meant to kill off the entire bridge in one shot, one sound… and only one sound was heard above the energy wave… it was a scream the likes of which no one on earth has ever heard... a scream full of primal rage… a scream built up over the years from tragedy after tragedy leading up to this single pivotal moment in time….

"AAAAADDDDDAAAAAMMMMMM!!"

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**End of Chapter 17**

* * *

**A/N:** That's gonna be a tough act to follow…

**Orionpax09:** So I was only going off of memory for Ms Fantastic but I decided she would combine a lot more gadgetry this time around. I had precious little time to get that ironed out before release though, this chapter is a bit of a monster. So I think I got Reed Richard's brainy part covered, and I figured it would only be right to give her cheesy one liners alla Human Torch. I think I did alright here, but she'll be more involved in future chapters. I'm sure by now everyone noticed she wasn't on the bridge when Zeruel attacked....

**Belthasar:** This is a fine example of me being scatterbrained lately. I've fixed it since you sent the review and hopefully it already updated. Thank you so much for pointing it out.

**Animefan29:** I've always been intrigued with bestial but under some control which is probably where I'm going to go with it. Starting out though? Well, it is her first time. One other thing, not sure if I made it clear enough last chapter that Kaji did escape. Anyone reading this: if you think I need to clarify that, let me know and I'll correct it.

**Neferius:** As obsessed as she is? Well I think this chapter answered your question. I have big plans for her.

**Thanks to everyone again** for reading and thanks to all who reviewed since I posted this chapter. Next chapter should be soon enough, I know how much you all probably hate cliffhangers, lol


	18. Skies of Green, Part III

Disclaimer: Do I really need to keep doing these? I own nothing… there I said it. Let's get on with it shall we?

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**XVIII: Skies of Green, Part III**

* * *

"AAAAADDDDDAAAAAMMMMMM!!"

There was an explosion… a huge one. By all rights the shockwave should have killed everyone on the bridge but as it stood, the computers were still running and everyone was still breathing. Makoto looked towards where the primal scream came from and his jaw hit the floor.

Standing where Misato was standing, was a nearly 15' tall Amazon of a woman with green skin and not a shred of clothing left. Her hair was purple and her eyes blazed green with inner fire. Her musculature was huge and her stature almost primal. As beautiful as she was terrible, he could literally feel the rage coming off of this creature. But he also knew who it was, and his mind struggled to come to terms with that realization.

There was a pause, total silence reigned as Angel and Monster stared at each other across the distance. Finally Zeruel broke that silence and roared. When he finished he realized he failed to scare whatever abomination this was before him as she simply slammed her right foot into the ground hard enough to make everyone still standing up on the bridge fall over, and roared back just as loud, answering his challenge.

Zeruel began to charge up another blast but this time, the creature before him was going to have none of that. She lept from almost a standing start and slammed into the huge angel. Though it was many times bigger than her, she managed enough force to throw him back though the tunnel from whence he came.

Outside, near the hole that Zeruel blew though the ground to get in, his head suddenly became visible. The look on its face despite the difficulty in expression could be one of surprise, and almost comical, as he was suddenly was launched out of the hole with enough force to slam hard into what remained of the ceiling of the Geofront. The green terror then jumped out of the hole into the open air and watched as Zeruel collided hard enough to bring down part of the ceiling and a few skyscrapers with him. He fell a long way before crashing down, chunks of ceiling and several dislodged buildings falling with him. Now partially buried under the rubble it struggled to get free.

The monster that was once Misato then roared as it began stomping its way towards the prone angel.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

A pile of rubble remained where there was once an apartment complex. Sparks flew from destroyed power lines and small fires traced its rough details. Suddenly an electrical flux formed over the ground lasting nearly 5 seconds. A slight pause followed, then a massive concussive burst in all directions blew the rubble surrounding the site away leaving Shinji standing there in torn clothing, with several cuts and scrapes quickly regenerating. Below him lying on the ground was Mayumi who was coughing from all the dust she managed to breathe in both before and after the escape.

"Mayumi," Shinji said as he knelt down by her and helped her sit up. "Are you alright?"

"A little worse for wear but I'm fine," she readjusted her glasses and found them shattered and useless. "Damn," she whispered taking them off and tossing them away.

"We have to get to the Geofront," Shinji stated. Then a loud noise in the distance caught his attention. He watched as several skyscrapers in the distance suddenly listed and fell. "What the hell happened?"

"Zeruel managed to get into NERV, but he ran into something unexpected."

"What?"

"I… wish I knew. I lost contact with him."

"Hey!" came a yell from above.

The children turned their attention skywards and saw Spirit holding Kensuke in front of her.

"You guys ok?" he yelled down as Spirit looked for a place to land.

"We're fine," Shinji replied. "That was too close though."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I was lucky to be on the roof with Spirit testing one my inventions when the blast hit." He readjusted his glasses as she put him down. "Otherwise I'd probably be dead right now." He noticed Spirit pull out her communicator and hit a switch on it. "Who are you calling?"

"Ms Fantastic, I have to make sure she's okay."

"You gave her one of the com units?" he asked rhetorically. "You're trying to get her in the club too?"

"As far as I'm concerned she's already in the club."

Static burst from the device for a moment before a voice came up. "This is Maya," it said.

"Maya?" Shinji replied. "She's Ms Fantastic?!"

"What, Piolt Ikari… don't think I'm capable of heroism?"

"I… I never meant that!" He blushed a bit realizing his mistake.

Maya chuckled. "Just teasing. Though from the looks of things here, glad I'm not anywhere near the Geofront. What's happening Spirit?"

"Angel attack," she replied. "Almost took Shinji and Mayumi out. We need a place to go that's not here."

"I have an apartment on the North Side outside the city proper. Home in my location."

"What about Zeruel?" Shinji asked.

As if the punctuate that question, they heard an unearthly primal roar.

"He's got more to worry about now," Mayumi said cryptically. "Let salvage what we can and get moving." With that she opened a large freezer box and a very frazzled and very freaked out penguin jumped out, squawking up storm.

* * *

**Inside the Geofront**

Zeruel pulled himself out of the wreckage in time to see a building flying at him. He didn't have enough time to raise his AT Field against it and was slammed hard with about 20 stories or so of concrete, glass and steel. Misato in the meantime looked for something else to throw, and realizing nothing really suited her current mindset she started stomping towards the angel again.

"Misato hate stupid spawn of Adam!" She yelled and broke into a run. As Zeruel tried to get up again she landed on him with enough force to push him back down again. He tried to swipe her off with a ribbon but she caught this and started pulling on it using her current perch on his body for leverage. Before he could get another positioned she managed to rip it off and toss it away.

Zeruel roared in pain and tried using an eyeblast to blow the green menace off of him but the explosion just pissed her off more. She unleashed an AT Roar that stripped much of the flesh from his face leaving what was left a bloody ruin. He tried to move and suddenly found himself being thrown again, this time through the ceiling of the Geofront back though the hole he came out of.

When he landed, seemingly miles away he found himself on his back as the green monster landed on him. Another point blank blast was unleashed and this time it had some of the desired effect as the green menace was thrown from him. With a roar she got back up and continued to press on. Zeruel brought himself back to his feet and began to regenerate his face as he unleashed another blast directly in front of the green monster. This also threw her back, and served to fuel her rage further.

He tried to fire again as she charged him, but this time she jumped early and landed on his head. He shook violently as she pounded into the top side of his "face" tearing the flesh there. Zeruel made one last attempted to throw her off but she gripped the torn flesh and only succeeding in having part of his face ripped off by sheer primal strength and inertial force he himself created. Zeruel roared in pain as the monster slammed her body into him knocking him back on his back again.

With a vengeance she pummeled into his body with her fists again and again breaking flesh and tearing though his hardened body. At last she found what she was looking for. Jumping to the shielded core, Misato wrenched the protective plates open with a show of strength that would make Hercules himself jealous. She then started smashing her fists into Zeruel's core repeatedly.

Zeruel tried to fire one last time but was simply too weak to focus enough energy to dislodge her. Within seconds her fists shattered the outer layers of the core and she wasted no time ripping the inner sphere out crushing it with all her might. At that last display of power, Zeruel fell silent. The only sound for miles in every direction was her roar of triumph.

Now that the angel was dead, she turned her attention to other matters. She seemed to sniff the air feeling the presence of familiar powerful individuals and made her way in that direction.

Well above, Onslaught hovered in mid air watching her go. "Should I follow her or try to take her down?"

"No," came the voice of Doctor Doom over her earpiece. "We have bigger issues. I'll need your help with damage control down here. For now let her go, we'll have time to deal with this unexpected problem later."

* * *

**Several Hours and 10 Miles Later**

"It isn't much," Maya apologized, "but it should do for now."

And indeed, her apartment was only moderately sized, big enough for 2, maybe three but it had to house more for the time being. Shinji collapsed on the couch with Mayumi while Kensuke and Spirit took a look around.

"So," Maya began. "Shall we do formal introductions? You all know that I'm Ms Fantastic by now."

"I'm just a tinker," Kensuke replied, "They're the real heroes."

"Nonsense," Mayumi interjected. "You are every bit as necessary to the team now." She turned towards Maya. "I'm Mayumi Yamagishi, Shinji's Girlfriend. I'm also the one known as Storm."

"So you're her huh?" Maya said with a smile. "An honor to meet you at last."

"You obviously know me," Shinji said. "Lately I've gone by the name of Bishop. I just recently joined the ranks of the superpowered."

Spirit powered down at that point and removed her mask. "Class 2-A Representative Hikari Horaki, at your service."

"Wow, you're all children," Maya replied. "Amazing to think that kids have made such a difference as of late."

"We've had our fair share of bumps," Mayumi commented, recalling her incident with Blackheart. "But we became stronger for it. Together, there is nothing the five of us can't accomplish."

"How about six of us?" came a weak voice. They all turned to see Misato wrapped in a stolen towel looking extremely worn out.

Shinji ran to her immediately and caught her before she fell over. "What happened to you?"

"Apparently," she replied, "I have an inner angel of my own to contend with, and she's quite the bear." Shinji helped her to the couch while Maya ran off to find a robe for her. The Major was much too big for any of her cloths.

"Tell me," he requested.

"Well… Rei was defeated, I don't know what her status is now, but that thing… it came though the screen on the bridge. Then something inside me changed… all the hate and rage I had against the angels all this time came to the surface… I couldn't control myself but I was able to watch as whatever it is inside me… Shinji-kun… It tore it to pieces; I've never felt such rage and malevolence."

"It's okay now Misato-san, you're safe."

"Yeah," Maya added as she entered the room with a big enough robe for Misato. "About that… we can't stay long. It's only a matter of time before Doom tracks us to this apartment. We need bigger living arrangements anyway."

"You have no idea," Misato commented. Maya was about to speak up when Kensuke decided to put his two yen in.

"We'll need a location with a facility big enough for me and Maya to work in," he noted.

"There is an abandoned facility in the mountains Southwest of Nagano," Misato replied. "It should be big enough for us and what we need it for."

"Sounds like a fixer upper," Shinji commented.

"Our best bet," Misato replied. "It originally was owned by a corporation that existed before second impact, so it's been abandoned for at least 15 years if not more."

"Think it's still livable?" Kensuke asked.

Misato stood up holding the towel to her as she accepted the robe Maya was holding for her. "It should be; it's made mostly from Steel and Concrete."

"We should check it out then," Hikari spoke up.

"Agreed," Mayumi replied. "You and I are the fastest so we'll go. What's the address?"

Misato shook her head. "It doesn't really have one. Let me get changed and I'll show you on the map where it is."

Mayumi nodded as she left the room. "I can't believe it's come to this."

Shinji sighed. "I know what you mean. But we don't have a choice, we have to get out of Tokyo-3."

"Damn it Maya!" Misato screamed from the other room. "Why did you have to be so small?!"

Maya chuckled sheepishly and blushed ever so slightly.

* * *

**NERV**

Onslaught stood next to Gendo Ikari who was out on what was left of the bridge. Both surveyed the damage caused by the Angel and then by She-Hulk as she unceremoniously evicted it. "If only we could harness her power."

"It would be interesting indeed," Gendo agreed. "We need to get NERV back in operational condition. Its obvious Kaji is controlling the Angels since Adam is dead, so it's only a matter of time before he sends the last three to our doorstep. We've had two attacks within 24 hours, I have no doubt he'll move things even faster if he can."

"Why not just use the device you put in him to kill him off?"

"I would have if Deathstrike had not inadvertently damaged it when she fought him."

"Damn. You're right of course; we need to get ourselves back on our feet. We should activate whatever clones we have ready and have them assist then," Onslaught suggested. "This mess will take too long to clean up otherwise."

He nodded. "What is the status of the original?"

"She lives," Onslaught replied. "It's so odd, I feel something when I'm near her… something almost soothing."

"Oh?" he asked expressing interest. "Do you always feel it when she's nearby?"

"Yes. Is it because she's the original?"

"Perhaps," he replied. "Perhaps it is something else. I'll need to look into that at some point." With that he turned back towards his office and began walking. "I'll activate what clones we have available. That only leaves the question of what to do about the personnel here. Certainly they'll ask questions."

"Remember what you did to Ritsuko?"

"My thinking exactly."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

The safehouse Exodus created in Shikoku was more than she expected. It was a veritable mansion on the sea. Little of the island remained after Second Impact but what did remain had plenty of resources. Most importantly, it has this home... a home large enough to have at least 20 rooms.

Unfortunately, the man she wanted to share it with was not here yet, leaving her to take care of herself for the time being. She had to leave most of her stuff behind since she couldn't carry it all, which was a loss in her book, but it didn't matter. All that did matter was that she would finally get her time with her Engel.

Since her arrival she's had time to explore all of them; several bedrooms, a ballroom, a library and an indoor pool were just some of the amenities. She always wanted to live in such a house and she felt this was a sufficient starting place for the start of their life together.

She walked into largest of the bathrooms and turned on the lights. She figured while she waited she may as well bathe. As she stood in front of the mirror and loosened her hair a bit she noticed something unusual.

"Now that's odd," she whispered as she played with a strand of white intermixed with her normally fiery red that started near her brow. "Mein Gott, I hope I'm not going grey already!"

* * *

**Elsewhere**

In a hidden shrine to the west of the safehouse, Exodus sat in the middle of a circular room. Within at each clock position was a statue of an ancient Daimyo, Samurai Lords from the time of Sengoku Jaidai, the so called "Warring States Period" of Japan's turbulent feudal history. But he didn't come here to pay respects to some ancient lords… and it was no coincidence that there were precisely 12 statues.

In a moment, what he was waiting for happened. The room suddenly became dark as sackcloth and where there were once 12 statues there were now 12 glowing monoliths marked SEELE 01 through SEELE 12 all with the words "Audio Only" on them.

"So Kaji, or do we call you Exodus?" came the voice of SEELE 01. "I see you haven't forgotten us after all. We are pleased you could speak to us again. Report."

"Sir," he stared, "Gendo Ikari, as you may already know, has become Doctor Doom. In the bowels of NERV, he is creating a clone army based on the first child's DNA. But that isn't all. He has experimented with super-powered chromosomes to create 3 specialists he refers to as the Doom Guard. I fought one of them and she almost killed me."

"So," SEELE 09 interrupted, "you have failed after all. Your cover is blown and Ikari is now progressing with his plans. What do you know of what his plans for Instrumentality were?"

"He was originally planning to control Third Impact himself to get his dead wife back, but after he killed Adam, his mindset changed. He's now after global domination. I do not know his strategy but the method is obvious enough."

"And we were the ones who supplied most of his resources!" trumpeted SEELE 07. "How blind we were to not see this coming."

"This can be dealt with decisively," SEELE 01 retorted. "We have the tools now to deal with Ikari / Doom ourselves. And that is just what we will do. We expect more reports from you Agent Ryoji. No matter what, you had best have more information for us at our next meeting."

"I will chairman, you can count on it."

At that the monoliths disappeared. He chuckled to himself as he made his way out of the shrine. "This too perfect," he thought to himself. "Gendo is busy trying to make his army and SEELE has one of their own, poised to strike at Gendo directly. I couldn't have planned this better if I actually tried. And the superwomen are trying to stop it all… they'll all be at each others throats in no time. With any luck not only will my enemies destroy each other… but they'll pay for the funeral as well."

* * *

**Next Day**

The scouting mission went well, and now the heroes have moved themselves into their new secluded hideaway in the mountains near Nagano. The facility used to be a storage base of some form, but once the dust and dirt was cleared from the facility (thanks mostly to Storm's ability to simply blow it out of the building) they were able to make it quite cozy.

For his part, Kensuke revealed he actually knew a few things about carpentry. Between his knowledge and the physical abilities of the heroes, they managed to create a series of rooms inside one of the moderately sized chambers within the facility to act as bedrooms. Two of the larger chambers were set aside for conversion into a laboratory / workshop, and the largest was set aside for everything else they might need such as vehicles and the main meeting hall.

The fields outside the facility weren't huge but they did stretch for a few hundred yards before finally dropping off into the valley below. The approach side of the facility where the actual mountain path used to be stands within the mountain shadows. If one were to walk a short ways down the path, they would find the cliffs over another valley, with quite a breathtaking view of the west.

Outside in the fields nearby Misato stood in a robe overlooking the vista. Though she had some decent clothing now, she was out here with a specific purpose.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this Misato-san?" Shinji stood at her side holding her hand for the moment.

"I have to Shinji-kun. I have to know if it is possible for me to control it. If I can see what it does maybe I can rein it in."

"Like we do with EVA?" he offered.

Misato cringed a bit at that connection. She remembered what it was like when Shinji fought his first angel, and since then has seen the berserker side of 01 more times than she cared to. But the comparison was fair. It was like trying to control a wild beast, but its one she can agree with.

"Hopefully without the berserker rampage," she finally replied.

Shinji watched as she disrobed, handing the cotton covering to him. She was naked but she didn't seem to care. Shinji's eyes fell upon her stomach where there was once a scar. It was barely visible now, and he figured it was because of her angelic regeneration.

"Here goes," she whispered and closed her eyes. In her mind she remembered back to second impact, seeing Adam again, seeing Zeruel come though the screen, Rei's 00 lying in ruins, the thought of Shinji crushed to death in the remains of her apartment. Oddly enough, she found it remarkably easy to get into the pissed off mindset that would awaken the beast within her.

Shinji saw her begin to cringe as her body shuddered at the imminent change. Her skin lost its normal hue turning greenish as her body began to grow, within moments reaching its full size. As the transformation finished she breathed a sigh and looked skyward, seeming to be calm but at the edge of wrath.

"Misato-san?" Shinji asked tentatively.

She turned towards her ward, her green eyes holding gentleness to them despite her imposing figure.

"Shin-ji-kun," her guttural voice came. "Misato help Shinji-kun."

This was his first time seeing her like this. Certain features were still recognizable, but her body was very different. Muscles rippled across her body and her posture was closer to a Neanderthal, but she still held something of a feminine shape regardless of the muscle. She was a monster; terrible, powerful and yet at the same time she still held a beauty about her that could not be denied.

"Gonna be weird if you always talk in third person in that form," he commented, trying to keep his mind off the fact that his guardian was now completely naked in front of him.

Slowly her form began to deflate as she began to revert back. Just as quickly as she transformed at first, she reverted back to normal. She staggered a bit but Shinji was there to keep her on her feet.

"No more weird than being in control of a raging beast," she replied finally. "I seem to be able to think with my higher brain functions while transformed, but linguistics are purely guttural and primitive. It also seems I can't really keep too much control over the form while I'm not really angry. It's gonna take more practice I think."

Shinji nodded as he threw the robe back over her. She quickly wrapped it around and tied it off. "But it's workable. Now if only I can deal with the damn clothing problem."

"I believe I have a solution to that," came the voice of Maya as she stepped out and tossed her a garment box.

Misato caught it and removed the lid finding a black and dark green two piece outfit inside.

"What's this?"

"You're new costume," she said proudly. "I made it out of the same materials that my costume is made out of, and as far as it can stretch when needed it should have no problem staying on when you transform yet still fit just fine when you're normal."

"How do you come up with this stuff?" she asked as she examined it.

"I'm a genius?" she replied with a shrug. "I'll tell you what though, Kensuke learns fast and he's really good with computers too. Between the two of us we'll have the beginnings of a true command center up in no time!"

"Command center?" Shinji asked.

"Well, yeah! We're a six member team now counting Kensuke. He's already got a name picked out as a possibility if we can all agree."

Misato placed the box on large rock next to her and removed the lower half of the outfit, It was basically a bikini bottom in dark green with black hems. In the middle of the front was what appeared to be a circle with a black outline and an X through it. The background was dark green to match the overall color of her outfit. She chuckled, despite the idea that she's almost be better off naked considering what she made.

"You sound like you're totally into this superhero thing," she observed.

"You bet! I've always wanted to be a part of something that was doing good in the world. NERV obviously isn't that anymore. I mean we have these powers, why not put them to good use?"

"For the good of all?" Shinji offered.

"Exactly!" Maya agreed. "Come on, what do you say?"

"How could we refuse?" Misato replied. "I worked at NERV for a chance to fight back against the Angels in any way I could. But I've come to realize there are more evils out there than the Angels, and some that may even be far more dangerous."

"At first," Shinji began, "I didn't want any part of this. Then I started piloting simply because I didn't want anyone else getting hurt. Now… things are different. Mayumi taught me that true power comes from within, from the will to do the right thing. At first I didn't think I had the will, but I learned differently. I realized that even before I got my powers, it was there. My will was waiting patiently under layers of doubt. All doubt left me when I confronted my father a few days ago. Now, I know what I have to do." He looked down for a moment as if thinking about something before raising his head with a look of determination on his face. "Count me in."

"It's settled then! Come on, let's get the others together!"

She quickly darted back inside the facility. Shinji had to laugh; it was like she was an enthusiastic little kid.

"Sometimes I think she's under the impression that this is some sort of comic book," Misato said as she walked with Shinji.

"I know what you mean. Everything that's been happening to us just seems so… unreal."

* * *

**The Office of Gendo Von Doom**

Doom was surprised the process of subjugating the rest of NERV went as well as it did, and no one questioned the sudden appearance of a small army of Rei's wearing Gunmetal colored plugsuits with Black detaling bearing a symbol in the middle of the chest where the numeric designation would normally appear. The Symbol was a jagged letter D in dark green.

Between the engineers that worked the facility normally and the Doom Infantry, the facitlity was being repaired quickly. Despite the setback caused by Exodus' and Deathstrike's altercation in Terminal Dogma, things were quickly getting back on schedule.

The first major setback however came when Doom, now in full armor and staring out the window heard the footsteps of Mystique enter his room.

"You are not at your post," he observed.

Mystique wore an azure blue plugsuit with no plastic adornments of any kind, perfectly smooth with the exception of what appeared to be a sleek arm computer on the left arm. Her hair was slightly beyond shoulder length and had some body to it. Her eyes were still the blood red expected of the Rei clones, but her's had no features within them… they were simply red orbs inside her head.

Change was inevitable, and Mystique of all of his Doom Guard was designed to be the most adaptable considering her shape shifting talent. But it was more than just changing her appearance and voice. Mystique had the ability to copy the powers of other beings she mimicked while in their forms. And slowly but surely, certain aspects of her primary form would also evolve.

"My quarry has… disappeared," she said sadly. It was obvious from her voice she was far more disappointed in herself than he could be of her. Mystique more than any of the Doom Guard considered Doctor Doom to be her father, and she desperately wanted to please him. Doom wondered if that relationship was not something that would also evolve… she was even more beautiful than Yui to him.

There was silence in the chamber as Doom considered her words but he never turned around. "Define… disappeared."

"I can not," she continued sadly. "When Zeruel attacked the complex I was blow off my feet, and the building collapsed around me, just as the complex he destroyed collapsed inwardly. I was trapped under rubble for over an hour, and by the time I was able to escape that prison of concrete… they were gone. I could not find their trail.

"They probably flew away," he observed. "Do not blame yourself Mystique; in this situation you could have done no more."

Her fists seemed to clench at that and her face became hard. "There must have been something else I could have done," she whispered. "I failed you father. I should be punished for that failure."

Doom sighed at that. "No Mystique. You are punishing yourself enough, you already know the penalty for repeated failure… but as it happens, I am in a good mood today."

She stopped clenching and her face became softer. "Truly?"

"Some of my Doom Infantry are awakened, and they are working out even better than expected. I've had them subjugate all of NERV to my direct control. We need not hide anymore my daughter… we now have the means to thwart any opposition against us. Try to be more pleased, if only for my sake."

At that she actually began to smile. "Yes father. I believe I can be happy for you, and for myself." She paused. "What would you have me do now?"

"Doctor Akagi has developed a tracing device that is able to zero in on the location of encrypted signals. It was designed specifically to break the encryption of the Monoliths of SEELE. I want you to go to America, kill the SEELE representative there and take his place. Then use the device to locate Keel. Remain there until further orders."

"Yes father! I won't fail you again!"

"I trust in that," he said softly, almost encouragingly.

With that she left quickly, intent on fulfilling her obligations to her father. Once she was gone Doom activated a switch on his left arm computer and a holographic image of Lady Deathstrike appeared on it.

"Yes Doctor," she responded instantly.

"Have you located Exodus?"

"Negative, he's covered his tracks too well even for me. I can't find him."

"Forget him, we have another problem. Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki has gone AWOL. He was not subjugated with the rest of NERV and knows too much. Find him and liquidate him."

"It will be done. Hail Doom!"

"And Deathstrike… do not fail, or the penalty will be… severe."

"Understood."

* * *

**Outside of Nagano**

The six individuals that made up the newly formed Superhero Team that would forever be remembered as "The X-Factor" were seated around a round table. Together, in causal clothing for the time being, they began to discuss the future. They called themselves this because 'they were the ones you could never count out' or so Kensuke suggested. It was something they could get behind for certain.

"Exodus has his own agenda," Bishop offered. "He must be working with the Angels, and by now I have no doubt that he's managed to recruit Asuka to his side."

"Do you think he'll change her?" Ms Fantastic asked. "Make her like us? Can he do that?"

"Honestly we don't know what he's truly capable of," She-Hulk, currently in human form replied. She had enough time to at least change into her casual garb before the meeting began. She didn't fancy the idea of wearing a robe, or even her working outfit to the first official meeting. "When I was working for NERV, one of my duties was security, but Kaji was specifically trained as a double agent I think. He was too suave, too cool under pressure. He had to have been trained. But if he got his power directly from Adam like we're thinking… There is an excellent chance he can."

"This means if we have to fight her," Bishop explained, "we won't know what to expect at first. We'll need to be cautious."

"The other thing to consider is the Human Instrumentality Committee," Storm said. "Spirit and I are fairly certain that there is a not so public face behind them. I believe that they may be behind the concussive man Ms Fantastic fought yesterday. This hidden hand would be at odds with NERV especially now."

"SEELE," Kensuke replied, still without a codename. The others turned towards him as he explained. "I've tried a few times to monitor outgoing and incoming communications from NERV back when the angel attacks first started." He adjusted his glasses with a single finger as was his customary habit. "I was hopeful it would give me some inside information on the EVAs. Luckily I've managed to stay off their radar but I've never been able to get any information. All I know is that there were 12 distinct signals going to NERV and each had heavy military grade encryption. All I was able to get off of it was the word SEELE. I'm certain that this is the name of the organization."

"I've overheard Gendo mention 'The Committee' and 'The Old Men' in passing," Ms Fantastic offered. "Always negatively too, like they were where our real funding was coming from but at the same time, they were controlling things from behind The Commander."

"We also still have to worry about the angel attacks," Spirit noted. "Storm, do you know how many are left?"

"Only three; Arael - the Angel of Birds, Armisael - Angel of the Womb, and Tabris - the Angel of Free Will. If they are following the original schedule, we'll face them in that order."

"Here's something on that note," Bishop added. "What do you think the chances are that Doom will recruit more children?"

"Fairly high," She-Hulk replied sourly.

"And with only three angels left, whatever Doom and Exodus are planning separately will come to fruition soon enough."

She-Hulk appeared frustrated; a brief flash of green came over her eyes. "Damn it," she snapped. "I wish I could remember what I saw."

"What you saw?" Bishop asked.

"Exodus confronted me in NERV and took me… somewhere. What he showed me was important but… when I hit my head, I lost most of my memory on what I witnessed." She struggled with it for a moment before shaking her head. "It's all a blur."

"I'd wager whatever it is, it's not good," Kensuke added. "Head trauma is one thing, but I'd hedge a bet that whatever it was you saw was either too weird or insane to contemplate. That'd make the mind want to forget it real quick."

"Either way," Bishop replied, "we're bound to know soon enough."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Ms Fantastic asked.

"For now," Storm offered, "nothing. We have strength amongst us now as X-Factor, but until we know where to leverage that strength, we must wait. The answers will come soon, and then we will know where to strike." She stood up, her hair and eyes pure white. "My friends, we are beset by enemies on all sides; SEELE, Exodus, Doom… but we shall stand together, the only beacon of light and justice left in this insane corner of the world. Each of us bares our own special gifts; Power, Speed, Perseverance, Innovation… and I believe that together, we will prevail, no matter the odds."

The group nodded in agreement. "We won't give up," Bishop added as he stood up.

"We'll find our way," Ms Fantastic said as she followed the lead.

"We'll smash though whatever tries to stop us," She-Hulk offered.

"Or think out way out if need be," Kensuke added.

"And we won't give up on each other," Spirit concluded.

"And so," Storm began, "for better or for worse, until the battle ends or we no longer draw breath, we will fight back."

While it was not the picture perfect scene of any comic book hero meeting, it was real to those involved. Each of them felt the pride of being a part of something bigger than they were, and each knew in their hearts that they were in the right. Here in this abandoned electronics warehouse, each became bound to whatever fate awaited them.

But did they have the strength to succeed against such seemingly insurmountable odds?

* * *

**End of Chapter 18**

* * *

**A/N:** So ends skies of green… with the formation of X-Factor. I decided not to call them the X-Men because… well it's mostly girls after all, and that wouldn't sit right.

And yes, I know X-Factor had very different members in the comic books (and Hulk certainly wasn't one of them), but really it was the only name that fit. I'm sure many of you saw something like this happening; I had been sort of alluding to it since chapter 3 or so with Kensuke getting involved with information and such. But it wasn't until now that the time was right to finally consolidate the team. And with no Professor X or Cyclops to take command, Storm became the natural fit as leader.

I'm still struggling to find a good moniker for Kensuke, if anyone has any ideas drop me a line, PM, email… whatever.

**Belthasar:** Exactly my point. Just showing Mayumi blowing up angels is all well and good but without powerful antagonists she's basically an electric Goku. By the way, I don't own Dragonball Z either. Not sure if I have to say that but you can't be too careful these days. I mean seriously, what kind of a world do we live in when Copyright Infringement is awarded more money than a death benefit for a relative that was wrongfully killed? Something to think about.

**Animefan29:** It should be obvious by now that that is not the direction I'm taking Asuka. And any X-Men fan probably knows by now who she is becoming. I'm expecting hate mail any time now... lol

Now for something completely different; for the first time ever in Tempest Aterna... OMAKE! But it will probably suck... Read at your own risk.

* * *

**Omake 1: Get out of that closet, we need a tailor, stat!**

"Think it's still livable?" Kensuke asked.

Misato stood up holding the towel to her as she accepted the robe Maya was holding for her. "It should be; it's made mostly from Steel and Concrete."

"We should check it out then," Hikari spoke up.

"Agreed," Mayumi replied. "You and I are the fastest so we'll go. What's the address?"

Misato shook her head. "It doesn't really have one. Let me get changed and I'll show you on the map where it is."

Mayumi nodded as she left the room. "I can't believe it's come to this."

Shinji sighed. "I know what you mean. But we don't have a choice, we have to get out of Tokyo-3."

"Damn it Maya!" Misato screamed from the other room. "Why did you have to be so small?! What are you, 12?"

Maya chuckled sheepishly and blushed ever so slightly. "It's not my fault! I didn't grow out all that much. Its kinda sad really."

"Well you know Misato-san," Kensuke started, "you could just forgo clothing. I doubt any of us would mind that terribly."

"Kensuke," came the threatening voice of Misato, "you're making me angry... you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

"Probably not, but at least I'd die happy! You know how hard it is to get a girlfriend when your a complete nerd?!"

"Hey!" Maya cut. "I resemble that remark! And I'll have you know I have no problem getting a girlfriend!"

Everyone suddenly turned towards Maya, Kensuke and Shinji looking the most freaked out. The sound of a needle being drawn across a record could almost be heard as the brain functions of everyone else in the room ground to screeching halt.

"I-I mean," Maya tried to recover. "I..." she sighed in defeat. "Guess I just left the closet huh?"

The massive nosebleeds by both male occupants of her house told her what she needed to know.

* * *

**Omake 2: Someone needs a course in grammar....**

Zeruel pulled himself out of the wreckage in time to see a building flying at him. He didn't have enough time to raise his AT Field against it and was slammed hard with about 20 stories or so of concrete, glass and steel. Misato in the meantime looked for something else to throw, and realizing nothing really suited her current mindset she started stomping towards the angel again.

"Misato hate stupid spawn of Adam!" She yelled and broke into a run. "Misato hate Angels! But most of all, Misato hate personal pronouns!"

* * *

It had to be done.... forgive me.


	19. Arael's Zephyr

**Tempest Aterna**

**XIX: Arael's Zephyr**

* * *

Toji Suzahara was not having a good day…

A woman that reminded him way too much like Ayanami showed up at his door but identified herself as Myako Namori arrived at his new home in Tokyo-2 and basically strong armed him into a van, where 3 other girls who looked exactly the same made sure he wasn't going anywhere. Then he was escorted into NERV HQ without an explanation, and before he could ever protest was taken into a lab, slammed down on a table and was held in place by built in restraints that snapped around his arms and ankles.

He considered himself a strong person, but these restraints were tensile steel, and he had no hope of breaking them. As he lay there, awaiting whatever fate was coming he wondered just what he had done to end up in this situation. Sure Kensuke was always trying to break into NERV's computer systems but he had no part in any of it. In his mind he was innocent, so why was this happening to him?

As his thoughts turned darker, the doors to the lab finally opened. Entering were two individuals; one in dark green with a mask that looked like it came from the dark ages and the other in a combination of a blue and red plugsuit with armor on it. The girl wearing the two toned outfit looked a lot like Ayanami, just like the ones who kidnapped him… but the differences where obvious.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

The man in the mask responded, "Call me Doom… Doctor Doom. And you Toji Suzahara are about to become important to the future of this institution."

"What are you talking about?" He looked around noticing barely within his peripheral vision there were flat surfaces with numerous needles sticking out of them. "What are you doing to me?"

"A mere boy is not what I need right now," he explained. "I need a competent warrior, one to counter my son. I've tried this particular enhancement on my clones, but… their bodies were unable to adapt to the change. I searched the medical records and found that you, Mister Suzahara, you alone have the proper RNA makeup to accept the change. I thought there was no limit to what I could do with my beautiful clones, but apparently, I was mistaken."

On that note, the flat surfaces came into view. They looked like the inside edges of an iron maiden lined with heavy gauge needles. Numerous tubes trailed away from the outside surface of the contraption.

"Wait! No! Don't do this!"

"Do it? If you insist." He pressed a button.

Toji's cries of "No!" punctuated his ears as the entire contraption closed around him, followed pained shrieks as his body was punctured by dozens of needles simultaneously. A small square opening opened in the side of the pain casket near where Toji's head should be, and a long metal spike on rails entered punching though his skull.

"You could have anesthetized him first," Onslaught noted.

"Where is the fun in that?" Doom remarked darkly.

Finally after 5 agonizing minutes of this, the screams stopped. The needles retracted and the metal spike was removed. As the pain machine opened, Toji was lying there breathing hard, his mind assimilating the conditioning Doom injected into his brain as his body grew somewhat.

After a few moments, he added 6 inches to his total height as the restraints adjusted automatically to compensate. While he was tall for his age before, now his height towered over his peers.

"What exactly did you alter in his mind," Onslaught asked Doom telepathically.

"I convinced him he was loyal to me. Not only that, I also convinced him that Shinji was totally at fault for what happened to his family. He'll hate my son till his dying breath."

Suddenly Toji's body convulsed as he gagged. His muscles increased in mass making him a veritable body builder. Once they subsided the restraints let him go. Toji slowly shifted to a sitting position and put his feet on the ground, his tracksuit partially torn around him due partially from the needles but also from his sudden bodily expansion.

As he stood up on his feet, metallic sounds seemed to radiate from him as his skin began to turn to steel. Even his face and his eyes became like slightly malleable organic metal.

"Good morning… Colossus," Doom remarked.

"What is your bidding Doctor Doom," he said in a deeper voice.

"You must begin Evangelion training at once. You'll need its power to deal with the messengers of the failed god."

"And when do I get my shot at the boy who ruined my life," he growled, "who hurt my SISTER!" that last word punctuated much more aggressively than Doom normally allowed, but he expected this. Part of his body's modifications included tapping into his natural aggression and drawing strength from it.

"You'll have your chance soon enough," he answered evenly. "For now calm yourself and prepare for the tasks ahead."

Colossus slowly reverted back to normal, though the height and muscle change did not recede as his metal skin did. "As you wish, forgive my outburst," he said much softer.

"I take no offense to it," he replied and placed a hand on his right shoulder. "I know how you feel about him. And I promise you, you will have your revenge."

This caused Toji to smile wickedly as he left the room to fulfill his directives.

"And just like you Onslaught, Colossus will become one of my greatest Generals."

Again, she was impressed by his power over life and death. "We can only succeed you Doctor."

* * *

**Northern Kyshu**

Kozo sat in a chair in small room. Across from him a fire was burning, dissolving the last evidence of his sin against NERV. In his left hand a glass of warm sake swirled as he occasionally drank it. But the drink would not calm his nerves. He knew he had little time left to live.

As the last year drudged on, Kozo Fuyutsuki, Sub-Commander of NERV, watched how his old student descended into true madness. But the thing that scared him more than anything else was that he had a very good chance in succeeding in his goal of world domination. In his control were the EVAs, a Clone Army and the means to create the most ungodly superpowered monsters the world has ever seen.

Before Zeruel attacked, Kozo grabbed as much data on Doom's plans as he could and escaped NERV. No one suspected he was carrying vital data as who would question the Sub-Commander, Ikari's right hand? It gave him the perfect opportunity.

He knew that Maya has a hidden server somewhere where she kept her most valuable records… he knows because he helped her set it up. He also made sure that the MAGI did not know about it, nor anyone else in NERV. Maya had suspected NERV of wrong doing early in her career, and like any well informed person, had a way to cover herself if things went south. Kozo understood what he was being dragged into but decided helping Maya was a great way to give himself an out as well if it came down to it.

But he had no illusions about it now. The Doom Guard would find him and in all probability kill him for what he has done. Trying to find Maya or even the Superwomen would simply endanger them all. So instead he left for a safe house in northern Japan and waited for death to find him.

He didn't need to wait long. At around 9 pm he heard a set of footsteps walking though his safe house, and he knew his time had finally come.

Lady Deathstrike walked around the chair to the front so Kozo could see her. In the fire, the flames reflected and glinted off her claws which were already fully extended.

"You didn't run far enough old man," she in a sing-song voice.

"Apparently," was all he replied.

"Why did you do it? What did you hope to accomplish?"

"Doom must be stopped. He's gone too far." Deathstrike looked to the table next to him and saw what she believed were the disks he stole. The security band applied after upload were still visible on the disks.

"So, no one has seen these… and it's obvious you didn't make copies." She hissed as she threw them into the fire. "You have failed Kozo. You should never have betrayed us… I was actually beginning to like you."

"Sorry to disappoint," he said sourly.

"Well it's over now," she said with some disappointment, and suddenly she lunged into him with all ten claws though his chest, her blades puncturing most of the vital organs in his chest cavity. He groaned in pain from the initial hits but with so much internal bleeding happening at once, his death was relatively quick.

She removed her claws from his body and considered the blood dripping off of them. One by one she began to lick the blades until her communicator went off.

"Damn, just when I was beginning to enjoy the meal." She retracted her blades causing droplets of blood to spray onto the floor. Without even cleaning her fingertips she hit her arm computer. "This is Deathstrike."

"Is it done?" came the voice of Doom.

"Yes Doctor, Kozo is liquidated, as you requested."

"Excellent. I trust any data he had has been destroyed."

"Yes."

"Are you certain he did not get this information to anyone?"

"They were the original disks… and the recording seals were still on them. No one read them."

"You've done well, now return home immediately. You've earned some time to yourself."

"Yes, thank you Doctor." And the link was terminated.

* * *

**Shikoku**

Kaji woke up in his bed but his love was not with him. A soft cool breeze flowed through his room and he realized she must be on the balcony. Slowly he got up and made his way there wearing only pajama bottoms, and saw his love.

Her thin nightgown flowed about her as if in water. In the glitter of sunlight, the shape of her perfect frame was clearly visible though the thin material. As she seemed to gaze out towards the sea her red hair flowed in the wind, and Kaji realized that something was different about it. A white streak starting at her brow and about 2 inches in width worked its way to the tips of her hair. It gave her an even more exotic look than what was thought possible of the Half Japanese, Half German girl.

Walking up behind her he gently wrapped his arms around her, gliding skin against skin, and in doing so he felt a tingle of power. She had a unique talent that required skin to skin contact, but as he was the one who made her, he was immune to its normally deadly effects.

"Gutten morgan mein Engel," she whispered. "Last night was… beyond words."

"Indeed my love," he replied. "Interesting what has happened to your hair." He reached up and ran two fingers though it. The touch tickled for a moment causing her a small giggle.

"I like it," she whispered. "It is as if you have marked me as your own. I'd gladly bear such a mark." She rested her head back into his chest as he was still much taller than her.

"Have you chosen a name for yourself?" he asked.

"It came to be quite obviously," she whispered. "Aside from my desire for you, I've always gone my own way… never let anyone dictate my actions. Even that uberslut Misato couldn't control me. I wish to be known as Rogue."

"Rogue," he whispered, letting the name roll off his tongue. Yes, it was suiting to her.

"So what happens now?" she asked. "All the messengers have failed so far, with no small fault of mine."

"The messengers can all fail and the outcome will not change," Exodus whispered darkly. "I have an ace in the hole I have yet to play."

* * *

**X-Factor Headquarters**

Shinji tried on his new costume. Black military pants with military boots started the overall look. His Waist was adorned by a dark belt bearing his communicator in the center, fashioned in the shape of an circled X. His shirt was sleeveless and also black but with cobalt highlights. Metal bracers adorned his forearms packed with capacitors and electronics designed by Aida Kensuke, to allow him additional energy capacity for the purposes of magnifying his power. On his back was a redesigned version of Maya's flight pack. While he would never have the aerial maneuverability of the superwomen, the pack did help immensely, and its thin profile hid a few useful gadgets, but most importantly it didn't crimp his style. To complete the look when not in combat, he wore a black trencher that effectively hid the backpack and bracers. Other than his unusual belt, he looked normal when wearing it.

"Well," Maya asked, "whadaya think?"

"You know," he said after a moment, "surprisingly, I like it."

"Well you can thank Kensuke for most of the ideas. Seems he knows you well enough." As if on cue, the primary designer walked in with his own uniform on.

Forge as he is now known when on the clock, for his end did not create a costume, but rather created a specially designed utility belt and another modified Maya Pack incase he needed to be on the field. He was a non-combatant having no super powers of his own unless you consider technical genius to be one, but he had tricks up his sleeves that afforded him a good chance to avoid combat when necessary. He also wore military pants but these were stand Camouflage BDU's The shirt part being sleeveless like Shinji's but included black leather working gloves and velcro attached arm bands that contained several smaller tools he may need for emergency fixes during combat.

His work with heavy equipment was already starting to show on his normally scrawny frame. He was beginning to develop some muscle definition, though the glasses would always remind others of his humble roots as an otaku.

"And I'd like to think that's true," he said while adjusting his glasses as was habit. "The capacitors in the bracers were tested by Mayumi so they'll hold up to quite a bit of energy load."

"Its perfection Forge," he agreed as he held up is right fist, now covered in a fingerless glove, the last part of his outfit. "This will definitely give me an edge."

"I also installed a feedback setting, if you run out of internal charge you can draw off the bracers as a last resort."

"Good thinking," he agreed.

"Yeah but not mine," Forge replied.

"That one was all me," Maya admitted.

"You know, the two of you really work well together," Shinji observed.

"Well, we don't like to brag," she said sheepishly.

Shinji smiled at that. He noticed since the two certifiable geniuses began working together they had grown closer. Before X-Factor was established, neither Maya nor Kensuke had any idea of each others existence. If it wasn't for the fact that Kensuke was underage, he could swear they'd make a perfect couple.

Taking him out of his thoughts, Misato, in her new uniform walked in. "Storm's called a meeting to discuss our tactics against Arael," she said. As a former NERV major, she still had a bit of military discipline about her. Of course, that went away the moment she shifted into The Incredible She-Hulk during combat. It's doubtful such a primal terror would understand the concept of marching orders.

Her outfit was definitely not military issue. The costume Maya gave her was made from the same ultra stretchable material her costume was but consisted of little more than a dark green halter and bikini with black edging and of course the customary X symbol of her team. Maya reasoned that such an outfit was necessary since her powers more than anyone else's seemed to rely on not being physically restricted in any way. At the time though Misato could swear she was just trying to give Kensuke something else to stare at. When not transformed, she wore boots, but these had a quick release designed into them that would spring apart at the first sign of the pressure exerted by her transformation.

In reality, Misato was not really one for modesty, though she was also not one for going Full Monty if she could help it, so the idea of waking around in what equated to a two piece bathing suit with boots actually didn't affect her at all, though sometimes the looks she got from Kensuke could be distracting.

"We'll be there in a minute," Shinji replied. "You should lighten up a bit Misato-san, we're not the JSSDF after all."

"I know Shinji-kun," she replied. "I just get like this sometimes when I'm on edge."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine."

Misato seemed satisfied with that for the moment as she walked back towards the meeting hall.

"I better get in there," Maya said as she watched her go. "I'm in charge of the slides." She excused herself and left the room. Shinji noted that Kensuke watched her leave with a bit of a smile on his face.

"And here I thought you only had eyes for Misato," Shinji said dryly.

Kensuke snapped out of his daydream and smiled sheepishly. "Well, she's cute and she's really smart," he explained. "I can't help it I guess."

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," Shinji offered. "Just keep in mind you're not old enough for her."

He sighed. "I know. Sucks don't it."

Together they walked into the meeting hall where the remainder of the team was assembled. Since their first meeting, the table has now been updated to include touch screen computers set in the table itself and a large holographic emitter in the center of the table.

Storm sat that the 12 o'clock position with Bishop's designated seat at 2. She-Hulk was positioned at 4 with Spirit seated at 6, Forge at 8 and Ms Fantastic at 10. The two boys, being the late comers took their seats, and Storm shot Bishop a gentle smile as he sat down.

"Now that we're all here," she started, "its time to discuss our strategy for dealing with Arael. I'll of course try to talk her out of attacking as that was the mission handed to me by my predecessor. But if history taught me anything, my hope in stopping this is minimal. Therefore we must plan accordingly. Ms Fantastic and Forge have an idea that may help."

On cue, Ms Fantastic stood up and activated the monitors and the holographic display. Within the field created by the complex machine they could see the form of the Angel of Birds. Five sets of huge beautiful wings seemingly wrought from crystal and light itself surrounding a central body that looked vaguely female in shape. Clutched in 2 pairs of arms was her core, outside of her body which is was new. The female shape had a head but it was featureless with the exception of indentations for where her eyes should be. Instead of legs, the body ended in a slight swell and then to a point, reminding most of the onlookers of a butterfly's rear end.

"She's beautiful," Bishop commented. "Close to what I envisioned an Angel would look like."

"Indeed," Storm agreed. "But she's also deadly."

"According to the information we have," Ms Fantastic began, "Areal's primary weapon is a beam of golden light that does no structural damage at all. Instead the beam allows her to establish a direct mental link with her target, whereby she'll dredge up the darkest memories in the target's psyche and attempt to disable them by tearing down their ego border and lock them in a nightmare world of their own making."

"Mental rape," Spirit whispered with a touch of fear in her voice.

"The golden beam has many of the same properties as an AT Field meaning it can nullify any barriers raised against it. This however could prove to be its undoing. Forge if you will."

As she sat down, Forge stood up adjusting his glasses. "Ms Fantastic and I have created a device that should allow us to lock out her beam. It will find the energy frequency of the beam and emit the proper counter frequency; this should lock her in place, preventing her from using her attack or even breaking it off. It'll give her a bit of a taste of her own medicine as it were. Once this is done, Ms Fantastic can link into the device and activate her AT Field. Once done the AT Field will transfer up the beam back to Arael and nullify her field, allowing Storm and Spirit to disable the Angel.

"Disable?" She-Hulk asked. "Don't you mean 'kill'?"

"No," Forge explained. "As per the wishes of the late Ramiel, Storm will attempt to force Arael to see reason and get her to break off her attack. Many of Storm's angelic brothers and sisters have already perished, and we'd like to try to prevent any more loss of life on either side of this war."

Misato understood what they were trying to do, but a small part of her still wanted to see the Angels dead. She didn't like the idea of stopping short of killing this one but she would never make such ideas known. She only hoped that She-Hulk would follow her commands and not try to kill Arael after she was subdued.

"She's obviously got the ability to fly, how far away will she be when she attacks?"

"Low orbit most likely," Forge replied.

That thought made Misato feel a bit better. Even if she lost control of the beast, it would be unable to reach its target.

"Are you certain the device will have that kind of range?" Bishop asked.

"Positive, once it's locked into the beam it can draw all the power it needs from it. And the link up once prepared is near instantaneous; she won't be able to shut it off unless we let her."

"How long will it take to set up?"

"Ten minutes to prep the machine but it should only take a matter of moments to lock on to the frequency and deliver the counter signal. The trick is going to be the set up because we'll be in Doom's territory."

"Which is why we need the entire team," Storm concluded. "Spirit and I will handle the diplomacy attempt and the angel itself should diplomacy fail. She-Hulk and Bishop; the two of you will be on defensive duty to stop any interference while Forge and Ms Fantastic take care of nullifying the angel's power." She stood up. "Arael will attack tonight, so let's get to it."

* * *

**Hours Later, NERV**

"Begin activation protocol," Ristuko called out on the bridge of NERV.

"Roger", Makoto reported as they began the first activation test of EVA 03. "Format Phase one commencing. Initiating main power bus… Main Power Connected. Energy flow control is stable."

"Voltage has exceeded critical point," came one of the many Rei clones, drafted to replace Maya on the bridge. No one seemed to notice that she was gone.

On the main screen, a window sat on the lower left showing the face of Toji Suzahara, his eyes closed as he concentrated on the activation. Computers hummed to life and technicians continued their work as they have done so many times prior.

"Begin Phase 2," Ritsuko called out dispassionately.

"Circuits are opening," the clone reported. "The Pilot is beginning connection to 03."

Through closed eyes, Suzahara was barely aware of the flashes of light coming from all around the inside of the plug.

"Harmonic signature is normal, no problems detected thus far."

"No problems with synchronization," another clone reported. "Checklist cleared up to 2750. 2 point 5, 2 point 3, 1 point 8, 1 point 5, 1 point 2, 1 point 0, point 8, point 5, point 3, point 2, point 1… absolute borderline cleared."

"Synchronization rate?" Ritsuko asked.

"Stabilizing, one moment ma'am," the first clone reported. "Synchronization rating registered at 82.7 percent."

"Excellent," Doom commented. "Even better than I had imagined. Certainly better than my son could achieve in nearly a year of piloting."

Toji opened his eyes and saw the entire test chamber around him. He felt the cage still connected to his shoulders but it didn't bother him; he knew he would have his chance soon enough.

"Acceptable I assume?" Toji asked.

"More than acceptable, you've done well."

"Doctor Doom," one of the clones stated. "I'm picking up several energy patterns on the east side of the city, at least 2 are dual patterned Red/Blue and Blue/Red."

"Come to spoil the party have they," Doom commented. Just then the angel alarm triggered.

"Blue pattern detected in low orbit. The MAGI confirm it is the fifteenth."

"We can't have those meddling idiots interfere with us. Onslaught!"

She walked up to the left of Doom. "Yes Doctor."

"Deal with this problem. Take a contingent of troops with you."

"By your will."

"Prepare to launch EVA 03."

* * *

**Tokyo-3**

The eastern side of Tokyo-3 was only spared the direct wrath of Zeruel when he attacked making for a mostly intact area of the fortress city, but to its southwest, like a gaping wound, was the massive hole he left behind.

Traveling through the mostly undamaged streets of this part of town was a single unmarked box truck. Inside, Forge was at the wheel bringing the vehicle to a stop where shorter buildings gave the area a much more open view of the sky.

"This should be perfect," he said and pulled the truck into an alleyway nearby, the back end still sticking out the width of the sidewalk.

The doors opened and the two main aerial girls hopped out. Storm looked to the sky while Spirit powered up with the words "I have wings" and stretched her feathery appendages as they appeared. A moment later Misato jumped out of the truck barefooted and as she stepped way, began to "hulk-out". Bishop quickly jumped to her back and crouched carefully on her right shoulder as soon as she was nearing completion. Finally Ms Fantastic with the first of the 3 main units she would need to help build in the field exited as Forge made his way past the crates in the back.

"Ok remember," Storm began, facing She-Hulk. "You'll need to make sure nothing reaches Ms Fanatastic and Forge until it's over. We're counting on you two."

"Got it," Bishop said.

"She-Hulk knows what to do," She-Hulk replied.

For a moment Spirit thought she felt a drop of rain, and when she looked up, she saw the sky was overcast and threatening. This was normal while Storm was around, but it brought to mind a serious problem.

"Storm, you're not going to make it rain this time are you?"

"No," she said. "This time it's not me. I'm actually holding the rain at bay. Mother nature wants rain though, and she can be a pain sometimes to convince otherwise."

"The machine is relatively water resistant Storm," Forge explained as he opened the first box. "But I appreciate the help just the same. We'll be set up shortly."

"Good," Storm replied. "Cause Arael is close now and I'm not sure how long she's going to observe before she makes her move."

Ms Fantastic unloaded the second box when she stopped dead. Lines of data crossed over the inside of her goggles, appearing to be little more than lines of light to the onlookers.

"What?" Storm asked.

"Movement detected at sixty yard and closing fast... multiple signals."

"Doom's welcoming committee," Bishop said darkly. "We can handle Section 2."

"She-Hulk think not Section 2," countered She-Hulk.

"What? Do you remember something?"

"She-Hulk think bad things coming."

"Aerial target! Closing fast!" Ms Fantastic Reported. At that moment, a wave of energy washed over the group and all of Ms Fantastic's gear started acting haywire. The machine Forge was working with sparked madly for a few seconds and powered down.

"Damn it!" he yelled. "EMP!"

"It's Onslaught," Storm replied darkly, as she took off towards the source of the blast, with Spirit close behind her.

"Forge, tell me you can fix it," Bishop asked worriedly.

"The machine's ok, but all the EMP protection circuits are blown. I can fix this!"

"How long?"

"I don't know… 5 minutes?"

"You got 2 if you're lucky." At that moment, the sounds of machineguns filled the air as She-Hulk was suddenly pelted with high caliber fire, the bullets bouncing off of her as if she were made of rubber. "Not lucky," he thought sourly.

"She-Hulk hate stingy things," and with that she rushed towards the lines. Bishop jumped off to avoid getting hit with machine gun fire as up on She-Hulk's shoulder he was an easy target.

"They couldn't be using energy weapons right?" he complained as he sought cover. "Try not to kill them if they're just humans."

"She-Hulk bonk them good!" As she approached the line of Section 2 cars she jumped slightly and brought down her weight causing a shockwave that stopped their fire for the moment. Bishop hung back with Ms Fantastic and Forge in case they were attacked from a different angle… which they were. Sonic blasters nearly struck the machine before Ms Fantastic managed to drop a few concussion generators to block the attacks.

"Nice hardware," she mused. "We could do better though."

Bishop absorbed some of the attacks and returned blasts of energy back from their origin points. At first he almost had a heart attack as he saw what appeared to be Rei in some new plugsuit wielding the weapon. But before he could even say her name he was blindsided by another blast.

"What in the…" he got back into cover for a moment and saw that the blind sided shot also came from Rei. She was in two places at once. "No," he realized, "she all over the place." Numerous clones of Rei hid in the alleyways, behind vehicles and around corners. Doom apparently used Rei's DNA to create an army.

"It's got to be because she's under his control."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Onslaught stood upon one of the taller buildings in this side of the city watching as the two superwomen sped towards her. "Here they come. This should be fun." She launched herself off the building, and without a word or any pomp at all she focused her magnetic energy into throwing a veritable storm of I-Beams at the two incoming superwomen.

"Look out!" Spirit yelled as they began dodging the deadly missiles. Spirit broke left and Storm broke right. Both curved back in to attack Onslaught from the sides, but she was ready for them. As they closed into melee range, she proved she could take them both on at the same time. Easily dodging and parrying attacks while throwing her own as the three women's battle turned into an intricate and dangerous dance.

At the camp, Ms Fantastic watched as She-Hulk, now having successfully knocked the entirety of Section 2's best unconscious, bounded over their campsite to support Shinji in dealing with the "Army of Rei" as Bishop put it.

"They're like soulless dolls," she observed. "I can't believe how many…." At that moment, a sudden burst of energy threw her back away from the camp. She quickly got back to her feet and looked to see what the damage was. Her eyes widened. "Oh god no!"

The camp was intact, but was now being bathed in golden light though a break in the clouds. It wasn't that the clouds broke, but that the light actually punched through the blanket like a 50 calibur round though a sheet of paper. Forge seemed frozen in place. "Damn it no!" She screamed. "Leave him alone!"

Forge's eyes seemed to dilate as he stared into the golden light then his face became pained. He grabbed his head and dropped to his knees, seeming to squeeze the sides of his head as hard as he could. "Get out of my head damn it!" he screamed.

Ms Fantastic tried to get in there, hoping to shield Forge from the beam but the outer edge of the focused light was like running into an AT Field. With effort she extended her own but could not erode the barrier separating them. It was far too powerful for her.

"No! Let him go!" she screamed as she desperately pounded on the field with fists of orange stone. "Let him go! Please!"

In the skies above, Storm saw the sudden explosion of light and both Storm and Spirit were distracted by it.

"Oh God, who's she's targeting?" Spirit asked.

Onslaught used the moment's distraction to her advantage, slamming her left hand claw into Spirit's back, nearly severing both her wings in the process. She screamed in pain which grabbed Storm's attention again. Spinning to face her, Onslaught threw her arm downward, firing a plasma burst, while Spirit was still attached to the claw. The force of the blast sent her into the ground at nearly Mach 1.

"Now it's just me and you," Onslaught said happily. "I think you remember how this ended last time."

Storm's anger flared. Electrical energy jumped around her body as she powered up. A glow akin to Saint Elmo's fire surrounded all the metal on her costume.

"In case you haven't heard, bitch, I have a history of second half upsets." Launching back into the attack, she struck with the fury of thunderstorm. Onslaught suddenly found her adversary to be a bit faster than she was before.

"Finally a challenge! Is that all it took to get your motor running? Maybe while I'm at it, I should kill Bishop too!"

At that point she was struck with a barrage of lightning that was almost pure black, flecked with red sparks. The power of it surprised her and threw her back. Before she recovered, Storm slammed into her with a clothesline and took her with her, throwing her hard into a skyscraper's fifteenth floor. The force of the hit caused parts of the floors above to begin collapsing.

Onslaught blew herself out of the building with a blast of magnetic repulsion and took a look at her adversary. Her skin looked a shade darker and her eyes glowed with a silvery light. Dark electrical energy jumped about her.

On the surface, Bishop blew another small cluster of clones back with a concussive blast, still unsure if he should kill them or not. He felt a sudden spike of cold energy inside his body and looked up in time to see black lightning.

"She's going dark again," he feared. "May-chan, don't succumb to it again."

"Trying not to," he heard in his head. "But this bitch just completely pissed me off. Spirit hit the ground near your location. I don't know if she's still alive."

A sickening feeling came over Bishop as he thought of what would happen if Spirit did die. "She can't be dead, she made of tougher stuff then that."

"She-Hulk, deal with this please, I have to find spirit," Bishop yelled to his partner.

"She-Hulk take care of this," was the reply in a guttural voice.

In the skies above, Onslaught considered her opponent now that she apparently changed a bit. She felt her power but knew she still could still take her.

"Someone has a dark side," Onslaught yelled. "Have a run in with the Son of Mephistopheles did we?"

"None of your business," Storm yelled as she sent several electrically charged chunks of concrete and metal from the building at her as fast as her magnetism could push the metal frames. Onslaught dodged these easily enough throwing another torrent of metal from the skyscraper at Storm. She didn't even try to dodge as her dark magnetic shield deflected the deadly missiles. She then flew in hard spraying forth dark lightning as he did, but Onslaught nimbly dodge the attack and returned with a plasma burst that punched though the field easily to strike Storm directly.

Storm didn't even make a pained sound as several layers of skin and flesh in her back melted instantly. Instead she simply turned to face Onslaught as blue energy focused around he chest.

"What the," Onslaught got out before the particle enriched bolt of furry flew directly into her. Though Onslaught managed to get her magnetic shield up before it struck, the electrically charged particle beam quickly punched through it hitting her square in the chest, and sending her into another building at high speed. Storm didn't let off the beam until all the dark energy that had erupted in her was expended. With some semblance of normality returned to her, she breathed hard, simply floating in mid air.

"I hate that feeling," she muttered as she surveyed the damage only to realize that Onslaught was still alive. She floated out of the wreckage of the building as it collapsed beneath her.

"That all you got?!" she yelled out.

"Well shit," Storm commented and hit her communicator. "She-Hulk, I need you about 3 blocks west of you're current position."

"She-Hulk moving," came her reply.

On the ground, She-Hulk clapped her hands in front of her sending out a shockwave which threw back the clones she was facing along with several vehicles and a few sundry items like mailboxes, fire hydrants and street lamps that weren't anchored sufficiently. Then with Bishop on her back, she ran towards where Storm said she needed her.

"Storm," Bishop called to her telepathically, I found spirit and moved her near the camp."

"I saw the light. What's happening?"

"Forge is under attack by the angel. Ms Fantastic is trying to get to him but she can't get close."

"Goddamnit!" As Storm flew towards ground level with Onslaught in persuit, she threw her mind towards Arael. "Let him go!"

"_**No,"**_ came the light voice of the angel. It sounded to her as a young woman, perhaps still in her teenage years. _**"I do not wish to. His mind is pure, and his soul longs for companionship. I wish to become one with him."**_

At that moment, in low orbit, 2 of Arael's wings on either side lowered and shattered like glass, creating hundreds of smaller versions of her without the external core. They quickly barreled though the atmosphere heading for Tokyo-3.

Storm saw this in her mind during her communication with the angel. "Oh no," she whispered. "Ms Fantastic, you have incoming! Don't let them get to Forge!"

"What's coming?" she asked over the com unit through obvious tears.

"Smaller versions of the angel… lots of them."

There was pause as she composed herself. "I'll do my best!" She was bound and determined not to let them near her partner.

Onslaught quickly gained on Storm. "Running away? How disappointing!"

"Who's running?" Storm called back as she reached the next street. Before Onslaught could ponder the all the definitions in her head for "It's a trap", she was blindsided by the massive fist of She-Hulk which knocked her though several buildings before coming to a stop nearly 6 blocks away.

"Should have seen that coming," she scolded herself as she heard fast stomping heading her direction. She looked through the massive hole she made seeing She-Hulk forcing them wider as she was making a b-line straight for her. Wood, Concrete, and steel blew apart at the sheer force of her momentum. Onslaught pulled both of her hands together throwing forward a massive blast of high energy plasma. But before it hit, something jumped off of the green machine's shoulder in front.

Bishop simultaneously dodged the next overhang to get ahead of She-Hulk while firing his flight pack to get in front of the beam. It hit him and was instantly absorbed into his body. He then broke off as She-Hulk reached her target. She threw an uppercut which threw Onslaught upwards through several floors at a steep angle before leaving the building and crashing into the next one. But the monster wasn't done yet. As soon as She-Hulk left the building she was in she jumped into the air into the hole Onslaught made with her passing and finding her again still in motion and slamming though walls, slammed both fists down on her from above sending her though the every floor into the sub-basement before she finally lost the gravity fueled momentum when she collided with the foundation. The impact sent a massive series of cracks in every direction.

For about 2 seconds she laid there recovering from the sudden momentum shift followed by rude contact with the concrete floor beneath her before she noticed that more debris was raining down. She saw the massive feet of She-Hulk heading right for her as fast a gravity would allow. Onslaught rolled away quickly as She-Hulk crashed down on both feet, depressing her landing area a good 14 inches and sending more cracks through the foundation.

Onslaught in her roll used the momentum to leave the ground and get back on her feet in a low stance. She-Hulk spun towards her and roared, saliva strung from lower teeth to upper teeth.

"And suddenly, I'm the one feeling inadequate." She whispered.

Storm after ditching Onslaught flew straight up. "I have to free Forge," she thought to her self as she wrapped fresh air around her to counter the minimal atmosphere where she was going. Arael may not actually mean any harm to her teammate, but her rude attempt at contact could be causing untold damage to his mind.

As she broke the upper layers of the ionosphere, she charged up the Thunder God Special Again, hoping it will be enough to stop this and at the same time not kill her. As she climbed ever higher, the vacuum around her was pulling her air pocket apart.

"Hope this is close enough." She aimed and unleashed the full fury of the Angel of Thunder. The blast hit Arael's AT Field and punched though it but lost much of its momentum as it struck the angel's core, skipping off the surface and striking the angel's shoulder. A cry of pain issued forth from the angel as she could no longer maintain her connection to Forge.

In response, the angel's upper set of wings straightened up and extended out. The very tips seemed to break off as hundreds of shards of crystal flew in curved and seemingly random paths straight for Storm like a swarm of sidewinder missiles. Storm concentrated on dodging them but was struck by a few, and once her evasive momentum was lost, the rest homed in on her and she was struck from every direction.

Bloody and hurt she fell several thousand feet with only the drag off her cloak and her ability to air cushion her descent keeping her from burning up in the atmosphere. Once she passed the danger point and slowed down, she adjusted her path and descended at a more normal rate. She was hurt pretty bad but she was still alive, unfortunately she could no longer fly.

At the campsite, the sudden disappearance of the beam elicited a sound of relief from Ms Fantastic, but that was short lived as she saw the mini-Arael's coming quickly. Realizing she would not easily be able to stop them, she grit her teeth, knowing this was going to hurt, and stretched her body out into a sheet to cover the now unconscious Forge. Instantly the beasties began attacking her body but found it difficult to damage her easily. It was like being pinched hundreds of times per second and Ms Fantastic did not appreciate that at all.

Suddenly, Bishop dropped in from above, and started unleashing bolts of energy at the eagle sized, mini angels. They began to shatter like glass but there were so many of them that he didn't seem to be making headway. Some continued harassing Maya while others broke off and attacked him. He threw punches and kicks, blasting when possible but generally trying to fight off the swarm.

Nearby Spirit still lay unconscious but she was healing quickly. She raised her head in time to see Storm falling out of the sky. Summoning the last of her strength she flew up there and managed to catch the falling Angel of Thunder before landing on a smaller building and setting her down.

"You ok?"

"I… just… need… a minute."

Somewhere south of them, they heard a machine sound and saw a black Evangelion rise from the ground holding a massive spear. The mere sight of that weapon caused both girls hearts to race.

"Lancea Longini," Storm whispered. As the Eva stood straight and sifted to the posture of an Olympic Javelin Thrower prior to the throw.

"No," Storm whispered. She still had hope left that she could talk sense into Arael, but in a few moments, it won't matter. Her young sister in the sky was about to die and she couldn't do anything to prevent it.

She watched helplessly as the EVA made a short running start throwing its arm back above it shoulder as the twin prongs of the deadliest weapon ever to exist twisted together and became one. When the weapon was let go, it was as if an awesome force was guiding it as it flew faster than the speed of sound into the sky. So quick was its movement that the shockwave caused by its passing cleared the skies over Tokyo-3.

In low orbit, the lance struck Arael's core directly, seeming to ignore that her AT Field existed at all. A scream tore though Storm's mind as the energy released from her core shattering caused her body to collapse inwardly like a drain. With a flash, she was gone…

But not just defeated like the other angels were; she was utterly destroyed. She would never return to the collective.

Storm rolled on her side and cried hard. It was the worst she's cried since the day Adam severed her from the collective. Death was normally meaningless to the angels, only their combat bodies died and their souls returned to the plane of existence that held the collective. But an angel killed my Longinus was utterly destroyed.

Spirit held her friend as she continued to let the tears flow. Where Forge was being protected, Bishop felt her pain as the fragments of Arael suddenly shattered all at once and blew away in the wind. He knew what had happened… he saw it though her eyes. Without a word to Ms Fantastic he activated the pack and flew to his beloved.

Spirit handed her over as Bishop landed. He held her gently and rubbed her bruised back as she continued to cry her lament for her sister. His eyes fell upon the black Evangelion as it returned to its elevator. A nagging feeling of familiarity came over him… he knew the pilot.

Nearby, an explosion blew She-Hulk out of the crater of what was left of an office building as Onslaught flew straight up out of range. She-Hulk recovered quickly and tried to reach her with an enormous leap, but just couldn't get her. When she landed, she voiced her displeasure.

* * *

**Inside 03**

"It worked like a charm," Toji said over the communicator.

"We know," Doom replied. "Excellent work, Colossus. Once I can miniaturize them, we'll have the weapons we need to finally dispose of our enemies."

"Onslaught reporting," came another voice over the com unit as her face appeared in window. "Mission successful on my end, though we lost some clones and most of Section 2 is hurting."

"It is of no consequence, you have done well."

* * *

**A Moment Later**

Bishop and Spirit landed as the rain began to fall in earnest. Ms Fantastic was sitting in the middle of the useless equipment set up cradling Forge. Tears fell from her eyes unabated.

"No," Bishop whispered as She-Hulk approached. "Don't tell me…"

She shook her head, "No… he's alive… but I think he might be in coma."

Storm between tears said softy, "She wasn't trying to hurt him. She wanted to become one with him."

"One with him?" Ms Fantastic almost exclaimed. "Why?"

"I… I think she was trying to understand us," she replied sadly. "But Doom wouldn't have it… he used Lancea Longini to kill her. She's… she's…." and she couldn't finish. She started crying out again as Bishop held her tighter against him.

Ms Fantastic looked confused as Spirit attempted to explain. "When Angels die, they return to some collective where they come from originally. But if they're killed by The Spear of Destiny, it's like a final death. They cease to be."

"Oh god." Ms Fantastic shuddered at that thought. While what Arael did to Forge was rough, she understood that the angel did not realize she was hurting him so much. Doom just ended the angel's existence callously by using such a dreadful weapon.

She-Hulk's face softened. At first she was glad the angel was dead, regardless of who made the kill. But now, realizing what Arael was trying to do, she began to realize that not all angels were bad. Well that was obvious looking at her team, but the messengers… not all of them were truly evil.

How many were needlessly killed because of hate and fear? It was a question that would haunt Misato for some time.

* * *

**Shikoku**

Kaji collapsed to his knees on the living room floor as he felt the final passing of one of his messengers. He shed tears for the angel that had in his mind, effectively been a daughter to him as the heir of Adam. Asuka held him as he tried to come to grips with what happened.

"He'll pay," he hissed between tears. "Doom is going to pay dearly for this!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 19**

**

* * *

A/N:** And so it ends in tears... Not exactly a good first run for X-Factor eh?

I probably should let everyone know right now that aside from Colossus, there will be one more important super-powered character to join the story and that's going to happen next chapter. I'm not telling who. Likely this will be the last mainstay character before the series finally concludes. There are likely no more than 5 chapters or so left to this story.

**Orionpax09:** Got two reviews to answer here: I actually took a little bit of artistic liberty with Ms Fantastic, partly because I haven't read most of her SOE story and was working off of memory for what I did see. Also, the added peripherals are their because in my opinion, she'd be a bit like Reed Richards with the gadgets and tools, but in this case makes better use out of them. And god only knows she could use the ability to fly while NOT on fire. On the second: Rogue was the best fit in the end, and thanks for the idea. Just by the name and my limited knowledge of the character, I realized what an opportunity I had here... speaking of which....

**The 17th Immortal:** Stop reading my mind! lol.

**Animefan29:** On the Zeruel fight, I actually extended it after I originally wrote it. I wanted it to display She-Hulks power, and yeah Zeruel got blitzed pretty hard. Well, when Orionpax09 delivers the beatdown, I'm sure it will be more epic that this was.

**Belthasar:** Wow, leave it to me to leave out such an important detail. I guess it's something I'll have to touch on at some point.

**dennisud:** We shall now mourn the loss of a great man, one who was pivotal and who with his last brave act may have just helped out our heroes greatly. That makes him a hero in my book... and Rei? Well, just wait until next chapter my firend.


	20. Converging Currents

**Tempest Aterna**

**XX: Converging Currents**

* * *

Doom stood dispassionately in the remains of what used to be X-Force's camp during the last Angel Battle. Some unusual machine stood around the camp in three pieces. Doom Infantry was currently examining every part of it for any clues as to what it was supposed to accomplish.

"It appears that the main circuit bus was removed," one of them reported. "It will be impossible to determine the machine's purpose. It appears to be nothing more than an over glorified communications array, but that bus circuit would be much more revealing."

"It doesn't matter now," Doom stated flatly. "Destroy it." As he walked away, the infantry blasted the machine to atoms using their sonic weapons as Onslaught, looking a bit worse for the wear but certainly not showing it, dropped in next to Doom.

"The Green Monster was much stronger than any of us could have anticipated," she reported.

"Yes, Misato Katsuragi turned out to be quite surprising." His gaze shifted towards the collapsed buildings. "How soon until the workers get that hole in my roof fixed."

"It will take at least three more weeks to enact repairs," she replied.

"Not good enough," he snapped. "At the rate the angels are coming we have a week tops."

"Then we'll put more workers on it. Step up the time table some."

"Make it happen, we can't afford any more delays. SEELE realizes what's happening here by now, and they'll make every effort to stop it. How many troops did we lose?"

"Twelve dead, Twenty-Three wounded and there are three unaccounted for."

Doom nodded dispassionately.

"What were they doing here?" she asked.

"Trying to contact the angel, most likely," he explained. "Storm is the heir of the Angel of Thunder, and Adam knew she was charged with trying to end the war peacefully."

"A pointless endeavor."

"At best."

* * *

**X-Factor Headquarters**

Kensuke was still comatose. Now laying on a bed with IVs in his arms and a pair of neural clips in his hair, every aspect of his physiology was being monitored closely. Maya Ibuki, now in casual clothing again, stood a constant vigil, examining the readouts on her computer. She fought back tears as she finally began to realize how much this boy meant to her.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump and she saw that it was Mayumi, now wearing her spare set of eyeglasses and back in her causal garb.

"How is he?" she asked softly.

"Still unresponsive," she reported. "His synapses are firing like crazy though. I wish I knew what was going on in his head." She looked down sadly. "I'm not a doctor May, I'm a technician. Everything I know about the human body I learned from Ritsuko."

"And Misato said she was a pawn as much as any other member of NERV right now," Mayumi noted. "What about our 'guest'?"

"I'm doing a full brain scan of her now," she replied. "So far there are metallic traces in her brainpan, but I haven't figured out what's in there yet."

"And her physiology?"

"As far as I can tell, she's on par with an Olympian… faster and stronger than human norms but beyond that, no unusual powers… she's just a tool."

Mayumi turned towards the second bed where one of Doom's Infantry was restrained to the bed and kept sedated. A circular scanning apparatus slowly panned over her head from temple to temple. Standing over the captive was Shinji who looked at the clone sadly.

Mayumi walked over to him. "Penny for your thoughts," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"She's a doll," Shinji concluded. "Just a copy of the original… In the real Ayanami, especially after my battle with Ramiel, I started to see some genuine emotion from her. It was muted but it was there. This thing is a mockery… nothing more. I don't even understand how it can function without a soul."

"I'm sure we'll figure it out."

At that moment, Misato walked in with Pen-Pen following her closely. Her hair was wet and she was wearing her short shorts and wife beater combo she was known for when lounging around her old apartment. A pair of sandals completed the look.

"I don't know how you managed to get hot water into this place but it's a godsend!" she noted happily. "Bathroom's free if anyone needs it. How's Ken?"

"Still unresponsive," Shinji replied. "We need an actual doctor."

"The only one I know is Ritsuko, but she's still under Doom's control." Misato's face took a darker turn. "If only we could free her."

As if on cue, a beeping sound issued from the scanning machine that was examining the clone trooper. Maya looked over the readouts and her eyes widened.

"So that's how he's doing it," she whispered.

"What?" Shinji asked as he walked over to see the readout.

"The clone's mind is loaded with nanites," she explained. "Micro sized robots that are constantly altering and changing the synapses in this clone's mind. She had no actual thoughts of her own, but the nanites are pretty much firing the nerves manually."

"So it is little more than a mockery of life," Misato concluded. "Could these same machines be used to alter a normal person's thought patterns? Maybe make them more docile and controllable?"

"Absolutely," Maya replied. "And I'd bet my last piece of software that that is exactly how Doom is controlling NERV. If I can find the frequency they are communicating to each other with, I can scramble the signal and force them to shut down. At that point, they'll break down like any other garbage in the body."

"It can't be that easy," Shinji noted.

"I never said it was," Maya explained. "The signal would be distorted if sent from the outside, so I'll have to devise a way to originate the signal from within the brain itself. Shouldn't be too difficult to devise, but we can't do it in the field."

At that point Misato appeared to get her own ideas on what to do next and proceeded towards her room with a purpose.

"Where are you going now?" Shinji called after her.

"I'm going to get Rits," she replied.

"Are you crazy?" Mayumi countered. "Even if she's at home right now, she's likely to be heavily guarded. Don't do this!"

"Guards or no," Misato began, "I'll rescue her. As long as you can actually do all that technobabble you just said, then we can free her. If Kensuke is ever going to recover, we need her."

"It's too dangerous," Shinji countered. "Misato-san please don't go!"

She stopped for a moment and turned her head over her shoulder. "Sorry, Shinji-kun… but I owe her this much. She wouldn't abandon me, so I'm not going to abandon her."

Without another word, she proceeded into her room and stripped down. Finding her two piece battle uniform she quickly slipped into it and put her boots on. Pen Pen stared at her looking worried.

"Don't worry Pen Pen," she said softly while ruffling the penguin. "They have yet to find a weapon that will stop me." She grabbed a long coat off her rack and threw it on to hide the fact that she was wearing almost nothing underneath it and headed for the garage.

Shinji caught up with her. "At least let me come with you."

"I won't stop you from coming, but you'd better get suited up quick."

Shinji ran off as Misato picked out one of the less obvious cars in the garage, a light blue sedan. "Where did we get all these vehicles anyway?" she asked no one.

In a minute, Shinji showed up fully equipped and jumped into the passenger seat.

"Old enough to save the world but still too young to drive," he commented.

Misato chuckled as she drove out, taking the mountain pass at speeds no normal person could.

"What's the plan anyway?" Shinji asked, trying not to panic at the sight of the few thousand foot drop.

"Ritsuko should be at home right now. We go there pick her up, or kidnap her if she won't come, and get back here."

"And if we run into complications?"

"Improvise."

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

Misato and Shinji walked up to the door to Ritsuko's apartment wearing their longcoats. He ringed the doorbell and kept a watch around while waiting for Ritsuko to respond.

"Well, her car is here, that's a good sign right?"

Misato nodded as she looked around the neighborhood. "If Doom is keeping her under surveillance, there's bound to be trouble."

As if on cue, the door to Ritsuko's home suddenly blew off its hinges with enough force to throw Misato out into the pathway and Shinji off onto the grass. Shinji picked himself up in time to see his old junior high friend walk though the now wide open entryway. He was wearing his track suit but he seemed bigger than Shinji remembered him.

"Toji? What the hell?" As Shinji picked himself up, Toji stepped over to him.

"Long time, no see Ikari," he said in a low voice.

"What are you doing? How the hell did you get so strong?"

"Doctor Doom was kind enough to give me a boost." That thought did not go over well with Shinji.

"What has he done to you?"

"He made me the man I am today. Now, remember that time in the school yard after you showed up? I still owe you a pounding for what you've done to my sister."

Throwing off his trencher, Shinji prepared for the inevitable. "That wasn't my fault."

"Bullshit!" Toji snapped as his skin started changing to metal before Shinji's eyes. "Doom told me how well you synced with EVA the first time, you should have been able to control it! You let it run amuck because you were too scared to do what had to be done. Now you get to pay for your fear."

Colossus kicked Bishop hard in the stomach throwing him back a good forty feet into the street. While Bishop had been able to raise his AT Field in time to soften the blow, the force still knocked the wind out of him and he struggled to get his breath back as the massive mountain of metal stalked towards him.

"Ok, now I'm mad," Colossus heard from his right as the door that had up until now hid Misato from view was tossed off. "You just pissed off the wrong person, Suzahara." Misato started getting to her feet as her eyes glazed over green and the transformation into She-Hulk took over. Within moments Colossus was staring at 15 feet and several tons of pure, unadulterated aggression.

"Well well well, aren't you just full of surprises Mitsato-san?" He replied as he cracked his knuckles and stalked towards her.

"She-Hulk hate stupid metal boy," she growled. As Colossus picked up the pace She-Hulk wound up and as soon as he came within range, hit him with a full on back fist sending him hundreds of feet away and into another part of the apartment complex.

Bishop, realizing She-Hulk had the situation with his former friend under control he ran into the apartment only to have to dodge gunfire. He felt the energy off the bullets and knew immediately that he wasn't blocking them with an AT Field.

"Great, he started making bullets out of the stuff."

Bishop did manage to glimpse that Ritsuko was in the room along with someone else.

"He will break through," Ritsuko stated evenly. Deathstrike, who had her captive for the time being backhanded her.

"As hard as you try to break free of Doom, you will always come back," she hissed.

"Shinji will kill you," she replied, "and I'll finally be free."

Five Section 2 Agents, loaded down with guns armed with f-LS bullets stood between Bishop and his goal. As much as he didn't want to hurt them, Bishop realized they were probably going to have to die. He activated his bracers and got ready to possibly take hits. Spinning out of cover for only a moment, he fired off two blasts of energy amplified by the complex system of capacitors and focusing circuits contained within. Section 2 fired back as he appeared but Bishop had spun quickly into the other side of the cover and managed to avoid almost all the fire, taking a minor graze in the shoulder. The blast struck the ground just short of the men and exploded into a shower of energy, wood, burning rug and furniture scraps.

With all five agents down, Shinji walked out from behind cover and approached Deathstrike. His bracers already powering back up. He internalized some of his energy buffing himself up for the coming melee.

"Do you really think you have a chance against me?" she hissed.

"Only one way to find out," Bishop shot back. Deathstrike immediately launched at him while extending her blades. Bishop caught her by the wrists and rolled back, kicking her hard enough to send her out of the apartment though the front windows. "Let's take this outside," he quipped while he did so.

Deathstrike had already gotten back to her feet by the time Bishop walked outside. A low rumble of thunder could be heard but neither combatant seemed to pay any heed.

She-Hulk tore into the apartment she saw Colossus slam into but when she could neither find him nor sense him, she made her way back to Ritsuko's apartment, slowly transforming back to normal. Thanks to her control and her experience dealing with her personal demon, she no longer felt the wooziness that accompanied her changes. When she entered she found Ritsuko tied to a chair on the far end of the living room.

"Rits!" she called out as she ran over there and untied her. "How did you get yourself into this position?"

"Doom knew your friends were going to come for me," she explained. "He did not expect you to come for me though. He expected Storm."

"This ambush was supposed to be for her? But that metal boy would have been out of his element against her."

"No he would not have. He is designed to end her."

Misato swallowed hard at that. What other powers did Toji possess?

"He expected the f-LS bullets to clean up what was left," she continued.

"Nevermind that now, let's get you out of here… Maya is working on a way to release Doom's control over you."

"I really should get back to work Misato, though I appreciate the effort."

Without another word, the binds slipped but her hands were not free. "Not giving you a choice here, Rits."

Outside Deathstrike danced around Bishop trying to get him to fire at her again. She was hoping he would waste his energy trying so she could have an easier time with him. Bishop however was smarter than that. Getting bored with it, she lunged forward lashing with her claws as she did. The attack caught him across the face and chest causing Bishop to back off.

Deathstrike pressed the attack slicing into his upper arm and his leg. Bishop managed to kick her away but during her flight she back flipped and landed in a crouched position. To his disgust he watched as Deathstrike licked one of her blades.

"You taste better than the old man did," she almost purred. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

Bishop didn't respond, simply throwing a smaller blast of energy at Deathstrike to shut her up. She dodged easily and charged him again. He noticed she wasn't trying to use her AT Field and raised his, but her body simply slipped though it and her claws found home again.

Realizing her blades and her body simply bypassed AT Fields he concentrated on staying out of her reach for the moment. He was now bleeding from numerous wounds and realized he had to be careful of when he did finally make his move. The storm overhead was a tip off that his love was coming and he knew that between the two of them, they could take her.

Suddenly a bolt of electricity struck from no where and Deathstrike barely managed to dodge it. Storm had arrived on scene none too soon for Bishop.

"You're late hun!" he called up.

"Sorry, ran into a bird migration," she quipped.

"Two against one?" Deathstrike yelled. "Not fair! You should have brought the whole team."

"We don't need the whole team," Storm replied. "You're already dead; you just don't know it yet."

Bishop took his chance and fired a power beam at Deathstrike. She dodged the attack and launched up to get a hold of Storm. Storm struggled as blades tore though her chest but failed to strike her core. She was quickly blown off of her by Bishop who pursued on foot. Storm landed, clutching the wounds as they began to seal up.

"Are you alright?" Bishop asked as he pursed Deathstrike.

"Felt like a bunch of bee stings," she commented.

Deathstrike quickly changed directions back towards Bishop jumping onto him and giving him the 'acupuncture from hell' treatment as he fell onto his back. He focused his energy towards improving his strength and grabbed a hold of her hands, pulling the blades back out forcefully as she struggled to keep them in.

"Just give it up," Deathstrike growled. "You're no match for me, boy."

She forced her hands back down but Bishop managed to get her left blades completely out of him. He forced the aim away and let the momentum fly, her blades slammed into the street as his elbow barely hit his backpack. The flight jets triggered causing them both to suddenly skid forward along the street. As her left finger bent back from the force of their ground flight, her blades shattered, being still stuck deep in the hard ground. Even their sharpness couldn't free them in time.

Deathstrike screamed as the blades were a part of her, a techno-organic f-LS derivative that she effectively grew out of her body. The burst from the backpack was short and while she was stunned from the pain Bishop fired both hands point blank throwing her skyward. Storm took the opportunity to unleash a cone of lightning from her fingertips into her. The electricity dancing though her body was conducted via the special metal that covered all of her bones and even made up much of her musculature. The damage done was incredible, but the worst was to come.

Many of the tendons and muscle fibers wrapped within Deathstrike's body were braided and coiled around certain bones for stability. These constructs effectively became electromagnets under the deluge of electric pain. Realizing this, Storm used her magnetic manipulation powers to slam her into the ground repeatedly until there was fair amount of blue blood on the floor. Keeping a line of electricity flowing into her to power these improvised magnets she brought her hands up and started separating them.

Deathstrike groaned in pain as she felt the bones and muscles starting to separate inside her body. More blood vessels tore and the pain made her scream. Finally, part of her spine ripped its way partially out of her back spraying the ground with blue blood, before Storm finally dropped her.

Bishop walked up to the fallen and crumpled form of Deathstrike as she coughed up blue blood.

"When I," she started, "killed… Kozo… he made such wonderful sounds… I wanted… to hear you make them…"

Bishop wasn't sure whose side Kozo really was on but made a note to find out at some point. He actually felt sorry for the old man, maybe at the end he tried to do the right thing, but he may never know that now.

Without another word Bishop fired a concentrated beam of energy from his right hand through her chest, instantly destroying her core. With one last gasp, Deathstrike fell still.

"Bishop!" Storm called as she ran over to him. He almost collapsed on her as she grabbed hold of him.

"Don't worry," he said between breaths. "I'll live." He looked back towards the apartment as Misato walked out with Ritsuko over her shoulder.

"What the hell happened?" she asked as she saw the broken and charred body of Deathstrike.

"The Doom Guard might have to have open recruitment," Bishop quipped. "Where did Toji go?"

"I don't know, I lost him," she answered. "Why he left in such a rush is beyond me. He looked all ready for a fight. I doubt that love tap I gave him did any real damage."

"She's coming," Storm said cryptically.

"Armisael?" Bishop asked, getting a nod in reply. "We're not ready to deal with another angel."

"It's my duty," Storm insisted. "I'll go. Get Doctor Akagi back to base and have Maya work on releasing her."

"You're not going alone!" Bishop insisted, but before he even finished Storm was already in the air and flying towards the outskirts of the city. "Damn it." He hit his communicator. "Spirit! Storm's moving to intercept Armisael, see what you can do to support her!"

"On my way!" came her reply.

"She-Hulk, lets get your friend back to headquarters."

Misato nodded. "Hopefully, Ms Fantastic figured out how to break Doom's spell by now."

* * *

**X-Factor Headquarters**

Maya sighed. It's been a long day and it still wasn't over. She tried quite a few frequencies on her improvised device but she couldn't get the nanites to stop working. Sitting down at the computer she wondered if she would ever get this right.

"Not getting it done this way," she scolded herself. "I need to get my mind off of it for a bit." She opened her hidden archive server and found it not the way she left it.

"What?" She took a closer look and saw a series of large files in folder. Opening the folder she found a notepad file written by Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. She wasted no time opening it.

_My dear Maya,_

_Within this folder lies most of the files I was able to snatch away from Doctor Doom. It regards several of his most important projects. If you are reading this, then by now I'm likely dead, but I hope you find this file soon. You and your friends must stop him, you are now the worlds only hope. I hope you live a long and fruitful life._

_Kozo_

A tear fell from her face. "So…" she whispered behind a choaked sob. "He's dead." She couldn't believe it but she knew it had to be true. He was such a kind man… he never had a bad thing to say to anyone, least of all her. He was a grandfather to most of the younger techs.

She wiped away a tear and looked at the contents of the folder. One of them was a file marked N334. Opening that, she found a schematic for the mind control nanites Doom used to control his subordinates. In the corner were the technical specifications… including the frequency they transmitted on.

"Thank you Kozo," she whispered.

* * *

**NERV, 1 Hour Later**

Colossus entered the EVA cages as Doom approached him.

"Where is Deathstrike?" he demanded.

"She didn't return?" Colossus asked. "I got recalled during my run in with Misato. Bishop was there but I didn't get a chance to finish him."

"We were expecting Storm," he growled.

At that moment, one of the Doom Infantry walked up to Doom.

"Did your people find her," Doom asked her.

"What was left of her," she answered. "Deathstrike has fallen."

Both bystanders could feel the rage of Doom thicken in the air around them. Even without a soul, it made the clone cringe. He turned towards Colossus.

"These Nephilum are becoming more than simple annoyances now. Once you're done with the angel, concentrate on finding out where they are hiding."

"You got it," he agreed and got into the lift up to the top of the cage.

Upon arriving he saw Mystique leaning against one of the vertical supports.

"We're all going to die you know," she whispered.

"Shut up," Toji snapped, no longer metallic. "Deathstrike got careless. You want to avoid that fate? Keep your wits about you, and don't go into combat alone."

Across from 03's cage was 00's. This would be the first time Rei has piloted in awhile, but she knew the plan, and she knew her purpose in that plan. She was to ascertain the capabilities of the angel, and provide recon data.

NERV had changed so much over the last six months. She noticed it beginning after the Sixth Angel, since Gendo Ikari became Doctor Doom. Her original purpose was taken from her, now she was just a pilot.

She remembered back after the battle with The Fifth Angel, she remembered Shinji being so happy she was alive and never quite understanding why he seemed to care about her. He would still check on her even after he entered into a relationship with that new girl Mayumi Yamagishi. She did not believe she was worth checking up on… she had her purpose and that was all that mattered.

The activation went smoothly and the launch was as jarring as expected. When she emerged on the surface, she was puzzled by this most unusual angel.

* * *

**Nearby**

Storm floated in mid air a good distance away from Armisael. The double helix body of the angel spun seemingly complacently in the sky. She wondered what this angel was like, she never got much of a feel for her in the collective.

"_**Ah, Ramiel. It is good of you to be here."**_

Storm was taken back by that. She was expecting to have to contact the angel herself, but Armisael decided to make first contact. This put her in a bit of an odd position. Most of the angels wouldn't speak first.

"Hello Armisael," she thought back.

"_**It is time sister, time to end this useless conflict. You desired a peaceful end to this… and I am willing to listen."**_

Storm's heart skipped. For as far back as she has been the Angel of Thunder, she has wanted so desperately to talk some sense into her kin. Now she finally found an angel that would talk to her.

But before she could capitalize on that, a shot tore through part of the whirling helix. It was a palette rifle round from EVA 03.

"No! Damnit not now!" she yelled towards the EVA.

"_**But the Lilum know only war… Forgive me sister I must defend myself."**_

The helix seemed to close forming a ribbon of energy that lashed outwards towards Unit 03. In one quick lash, the pallet rifle it held was destroyed. 03 grabbed the end of the angel and struggled with it. The opposite end poised to strike but was suddenly grabbed by Unit 00. As she tried to pull it away, it lashed out of her hands and slammed into the stomach of her unit.

Rei struggled with it trying to get it out, but it had already begin to assimilate itself into and infect her EVA. At the same time, contact with it caused EVA 03 to begin to become infected.

Storm didn't know what to do. She wanted desperately to help the angel, but she also knew that Shinji's friend Rei was in trouble as Armisael was infesting her. The internal struggle with moral choice caused her to fall to inaction.

Just then Spirit showed up. She had been listening to the conversation and knew what had taken place. Hoving next to Storm she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What do I do?" Storm asked without looking at her. "If I don't do something, Rei could die. But if I attack Armisael, I could ruin any chance of ending this once and for all."

As 03 continued to struggle it popped its progressive knife, now updated with f-LS metal and stabbed the angel. A scream tore from Armisael and Rei simultainously and Toji now knew that they were both connected. From about halfway up the ribbon of light, two more branched off and attacked his EVA. With no more arms to block he was now being assimilated as well. Lines of metal began filtering from EVA 03's hands and filter like small flowing rivers towards the other end of the Angel firmly lodged into Unit 00.

* * *

**Inside the Mind of Rei**

Rei suddenly stopped feeling pain and realized she was somewhere else. Ahead of her was a copy of herself, though she couldn't see the eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Rei," the duplicate replied.

"Impossible, I am Rei."

"And we are becoming one, so I am becoming you. Does this not make you happy?"

_No_

_I see… that is too bad. But you can not control it. _The duplicate suddenly transformed into Toji. _No more than you could control Commander Ikari's decent into madness._

_Why are you doing this?_

_To show you the truth… to show you what he has become…I wish to free you._

_I am no prisoner._

_But you are… You are a slave to his every whim…_

Inside the plug of Unit 00 Rei suddenly lurched back, arching her body painfully. Her eyes opened but her consciousness was still trapped inside her own mind. The lines of metal traveling though Armisael transferred into 00 and seemed to push its way inside of the EVA.

_You were nothing more than a tool…_

The lines of metal shot though the plug walls into Rei's body, seemingly phasing though her suit to become one with her. Her body convulsed and then curled forward as a pair of wings of light tore their way out of the back of her plugsuit, the lines of metal in her body finding their way along the edge of the pure white appendages. Inside of her, the dormant S2 engine that replaced he womb began to power on.

_Now you will serve no one but yourself and your friends…He never stopped caring about you…_

* * *

**Inside NERV**

"Her psyche graph is going out of control," reported one of the clone operators.

"Sever her connection to 00," demanded Doom.

"EVA 00 is not responding," another clone reported. "It is rejecting the command interface. We are losing her."

Doom knew he still needed Rei for his backup plans, though it was not her body she needed. If her soul was lost, he could never replace her.

* * *

**Outside**

EVA 03 was simply ejected away from the battle by a lash of the three tendrils, as if Armisael had no further use for it. The infection though 00 making the flesh of the unit begin to burst though its armor in a grossly deformed mess.

"Oh god!" cried Storm upon seeing this. "Armisael! Stop this please!"

But the angel did not answer.

Inside the cockpit was Rei's body appeared to be shuddering badly. She saw images in her mind of Second Impact; The contact experiment, The Lance of Longinus inserted into Adam's core, Misato floating on the ocean in an escape capsule. Then other images; The recruiting of Kaji as Exodus, The death of Adam, the insanity that overran the collective, Doom's disregard for all life, a flashback of Shinji's abandonment at his fathers hands, the mental rape of Doctor Akagi, the subjugation of NERV….

_True freedom… the ability to choose your own path in life… this is what Doom destroys… this is his purpose, to encapsulate and suffocate everything that is a threat to him… just as Adam would have done had he been given the chance._

_We did this… Lilum… humans… we started this war…_

_Ramiel understood that not all need be punished for the sins of a few… the time has come to end the conflict, but that can not happen until Doom has been defeated. Only then can your people find peace…_

_What must I do?_

_Follow your heart, Armisael!_

_What?!_

_In order to enact your freedom, I must sacrifice myself… just as Ramiel sacrificed himself to bestow his essence and soul upon the Lilum Mayumi, I now do so for you…_

As the metal within Rei began to ribbon across the surface of her face, tears fell free. In a flash of light silence reigned and for a moment, and in that moment the Earth simply seemed to stop.

Spirit and Storm were thrown back hundreds of yards before they finally slowed their momentum from the colossal explosion that rocked the countryside. It was more powerful than an N2 and brighter than the sun. Unit 00 appeared to have self destructed to destroy the angel, and Storm could no longer sense Armisael.

"She's… dead," Storm whispered. But then she felt it; within the heart the explosion an angelic presence still existed. Somewhere in the distance, EVA 03 stood up again, its AT Field protecting it from the brunt of the blast.

Inside NERV, Doom stood dispassionately watching the explosion dissipate.

Outside, the smoke and fire began to clear, revealing Rei in her plugsuit floating in mid air surrounded by a white aura, and she had changed; Her face now had several parallel lines of metal stretching vertically from below the eyes to her chin, and they no longer had any features in much the same way as Mystique's. But the most startling of her changes was literally behind her. Two pairs of Azure colored metallic wings stretched giving her the appearance of a cybernetic archangel, their individual feathers sharpened like blades and glittered in the fading light.

Toji stood dumbfounded at this new development, until Doom commanded him to retrieve her. Staying on task he approached quickly making a grab for her.

Rei saw him approach and closed both sets of wings over herself suddenly opening them and launching a veritable storm of feather-blades into 03 with enough force to throw him back hundreds of yards. Metal plates were shredded and many of the blades actually passed completely though the unit instantly disabling it. Two of them penetrated the plug but stuck half way though. As EVA 03 fell back she turned her attention towards the nearest camera. Two thin rings of energy surrounded her, one spinning around her at waist level, the other slightly above her head. Both looked like smaller versions of Armisael's first form.

"I know your sins Gendo Ikari," she said loud enough for the external mics to pick it up. "One day you will have to answer for them. When that day comes, I will be there. I am the Heir of Armisael… I am Archangel!"

A flash of light from her solid eyes signaled the use of a weapon seen before in the angels as the camera went offline.

Doom now had no doubt that he had lost her.

Storm and Spirit floated over to Rei after she had given her speech and destroyed the camera. She turned towards them slowly in air as the bands of energy began to dissipate.

"Armisael?" Storm asked precariously.

"Ramiel," she responded. "Thank you for not interfering in my recovery."

"Recovery?" Spirit asked.

"Yes Spirit. Gendo Ikari used conditioning and drugs to keep me complacent and obedient to his will. Armisael merged with me as Ramiel did with you Storm. In doing so, she freed me at last. I am his doll no longer. Please allow me to join your cause as our aims are now identical."

"We welcome you with open arms sister!" Storm replied happily, reaching out and embracing Rei.

At first Rei didn't seem to know what to do. Though she was just freed, she didn't understand the gesture at first. But in a moment, instinct and intuition won the day and she returned the embrace of her angelic sister.

She found the warm feeling she felt at this contact… agreeable.

* * *

**End of Chapter 20**

**

* * *

A/N: **That should about round out this version of X-Factor**.**

Its been an awesome week for writing apparently... how many chapters have I added in the last week? Like 4? With any luck I'll be able to keep this momentum until the story is finally done. Just one more chapter before the multi-part finale...

**The 17th Immortal:** f-LS susceptable to lighting? Yes... yes it is.

**Neferius:** Glad you're enjoying the ride. And yeah, I understand the odd attachment to Arael, she's honestly the most beautiful of the angels. Thinking about writing fiction involving her at some point in the future myself. How did you like the upgrades?

**Belthasar:** A logical assumption to be sure. Now that Maya cracked the code on how to break the mind control, If Forge recovers in time, he could very well be the one to innovate something to free him as well in the field. He might need Hikari's help there though... as Doom pointed out in an earlier chapter, love is a powerful emotion and even nanites can't completely erase it. Speaking of which, can you imagine the fallout once Spirit finds out what happened to Toji?


	21. The Calm Before the Storm

**Tempest Aterna**

**XXI: The Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

The sedan entered X-Factor's garage and parked. It's doors opened revealing Shinji and Misato exiting the vehicle, with Misato taking moment to pull the still bound up Doctor Akagi out of the back seat.

"Misato please," she almost pleaded. "I need to get back to NERV. He has need of me."

"No way," Misato replied. "I'm getting you out of this mess, once and for all."

The trio entered the main lab to find Maya testing a new device on the captured clone. She carefully inserted a probe of some form into the girl's head and in her sleep she shuddered.

Misato placed Doctor Akagi on another one of the beds and made sure she stayed put. The doctor for her part watched the experiment with interest. "You know, without the nanites, the clones have no real mind."

"We know Sempai," Maya responded. "So if this works, all brain activity should cease."

"Yes, that was the point I was trying to make."

"Here goes nothing." Maya pressed the final sequence and a burst of high frequency sound could be heard. Suddenly all the clone's brain waves flatlined, with only the automatic functions of circulation and breathing visible.

"It worked!" Maya said happily. "Ok Sempai, your turn."

"I really must protest," Ritsuko said as Maya stuck her with a syringe. In a moment, Akagi was unconscious.

"You can untie her now; she won't wake up till this is over."

Misato untied her and gently placed her in a proper position on her back. Maya moved the device over to her bed and prepped it for another shot.

"It's charging," she reported. "Just a second, please." The probe was inserted into Ritsuko's cranium. She then activated the device and that sound again pulsed. Almost the moment the probe was removed Ritsuko woke up.

She looked around at where she was. Everything was a bit foggy at first, but slowly her mind caught up. "Maya, you're amazing. The signal is gone."

"Thanks Sempai," she replied. "How do you feel?"

"Sick… knowing what that bastard did to me. I can't believe it went on for so long, and now he has the entirety of NERV at his fingertips."

"I know all about it, I found the Sub-Commander's notes."

"His notes?" She thought about that for a second. "Of course… Deathstrike failed after all. He must have got the files to you somehow before he died. Clever man."

"Where is that bitch," Maya almost growled. "I'd like to hurt her for killing him."

"Too late," Shinji commented. "Storm and I finished her off outside Ritsuko's apartment. The wench was not easy to kill."

"At least she's dead," Maya reasoned.

At that moment, the three aerial girls arrived. Shinji expressed obvious surprise to see Rei walking in looking like she did. As Spirit and Storm powered down, so did Rei, though there was no physical change.

"Ayanami?" Shinji asked.

"Yes Shinji, it's me."

"Shinji?" Misato asked. "Since when did you start using his first name?"

"A lot as happened Misato."

As she began to explain what happened to her, Ritsuko walked over to Kensuke and started looking him over, surmising this was the reason they racked their brains to find a way to release her. Ritsuko looked over the data and started calculating.

"So, you're the new Armisael?" Misato concluded.

"Essentially," Rei agreed. "The closest translation of the name is 'Mountain of Judgment of God'. This seems right; Armisael instilled in me the will to bring Doctor Doom to justice, but she also gave me my freedom to act. I do not know what I will do once our mission is completed, but I believe I can find my way now. Therefore I have joined the team as code-name Archangel."

"X-Factor could definitely use the help," Maya replied. "According to Kozo's notes, the SEELE Consul, as we figured, is made up of 12 individuals from 12 countries across the world. They are building something in secret… well 9 somethings, and it has to do with something he referred to as the Red Earth Ceremony."

Mayumi and Rei knew immediately what that was. "They can't do it now can they?" Mayumi asked. "Adam is dead. Without the All-Father, they can't complete the ritual."

"Actually they can," Rei replied. "Gendo became Doctor Doom when he implanted the embryo of Adam into his hand, and Adam attempted to assimilate him. Gendo lanced him on a letter opener made of f-LS, or Faux Longinus Steel, metal that contains the same properties as Lancea Longini. As you know, death by Lancea Longini is permanent death for any angel, but Adam's essence was absorbed into Gendo's body which is what transformed him. His Fruit of Life, what we know as the S2, can be used to initiate Third Impact. Doom could very well do it after the last messenger is revealed, but he won't. He doesn't want to destroy the human race… he wants to subvert it."

"And how does Exodus fit in to this?" asked Misato.

"Exodus was recruited and turned into an Angel by Adam when he was transporting it along with the Second Child to Japan. He has Adam's motivations. He will attempt to complete the White Earth Ceremony where the Lilum will become extinct and Angels will rule the world."

"Jesus," Misato commented and Shinji's face turned sour. "We have to stop him."

"But how?" Mayumi ponders.

Ritsuko walked over to the group, putting a device back on the table.

"What's the prognosis?" Shinji asked.

"Arael did try to contact him," she started. "I've seen this kind of brain activity before… a few times as a matter of fact. It's similar to what happens to a pilot when their Evangelion goes berserk. I've given him something to help ease the brain activity a bit. He should recover in a day or less."

Maya was ecstatic. "That's great news! Thank you so much, Sempai!"

She smiled at her former student. "Just trying to be helpful."

**

* * *

Shikoku**

"But you said Third Impact couldn't happen now," Rogue questioned as she dressed in her black jump suit. She didn't make a full custom for herself but this jump suit was incredibly comfortable and she found she could fight in it just fine.

"What I meant was it can't happen as it was originally intended," Exodus clarified. "But it can still happen. I need Doom's core to initiate it."

"So why can't we do it now?"

"Because the last messenger hasn't arrived yet," Exodus explained.

"But don't you have control over the Angels?"

"I had control over all except two of them. One was Armisael who left for who knows what reason, and Tabris who I have never had contact with. Armisael already came here, and she's been defeated. Tabris is all that's left. SEELE had control over him, but I don't know if they still do."

Rogue stood up, throwing her hair back. "Either way, we should get moving I think. If Tabris shows up soon my love, you'll need to be ready."

"Indeed. This is the last step to hijacking the final messengers. Once this is done, we'll be ready."

**

* * *

NERV, The Next Day**

Onslaught entered the office of Gendo Von Doom, and there have been some changes while she was busy with the cleanup. While the Sephriotic System was still visible on the ceiling of his office, the floor now resembled a huge map of the world. Doom stood near the point where Japan was visible, marks appeared for the locations of the 11 known SEELE members.

"I assume Mystique is back to masquerading as one of them?" she asked.

"I dispatched her an hour ago. SEELE is expected to have another meeting shortly. She should be able to locate Keel with any luck."

"So, we'll be rid of them soon."

"The assassinations are going to be a bit more difficult without Deathstrike," he added.

"I can handle them if you wish it," Onslaught offered.

"No, I need you here." Gendo walked towards her, walking over China to do so. "Exodus is likely to make his move as soon as Tabris has been found. I'll need your support to assure he doesn't survive to try again."

"We should have killed him when we had the chance," Onslaught noted.

"Indeed. A mistake I will not repeat."

**

* * *

X-Factor Headquarters**

Maya as of late had taken to sleeping in the lab, normally on a bed close to Kensuke, but she couldn't sleep at all last night. It wasn't that she was wired, it was that at around 2 in the morning, the clone finally flatlined. Moments after its death, the clone exploded into a puddle of LCL making for a nasty cleanup. Though Ritsuko helped with the cleaning, the event kept playing in her mind.

"Oi," she heard from Kensuke's bed. She sat up and saw him sitting up as well, rubbing his head.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed and ran over to him. She grabbed and pulled him into a tight hug.

Kensuke at first looked a little freaked out but then returned the hug, realizing Maya was just overjoyed he was ok. He was able to surmise he'd been out for awhile.

"How long?" he asked.

"Just over a day," she replied. "We were beginning to worry about you."

Kensuke smiled as Maya released him from the hug. It was then that he realized something had changed.

"What is it?" she asked noticing his odd expression.

"Well isn't that odd," he whispered. Through his eyes, he was seeing though the outside casing of the machines around him, watched electrical pathing, the pulsing of capacitors and even the flow of data though processor chips.

He chuckled as he realized what he was seeing. "Neat!" he said and explained to Maya what he was seeing.

"How?"

"Arael was trying to give me something," he explained. "She saw into my soul and she tried to show me a dream world where everything was perfect… and I wasn't alone." He sighed. "But her mental connection was too powerful, my mind couldn't handle it. I could feel my neural pathways burning up. I guess she instead settled on rewiring my brain to better fit my lot in life."

"Are you saying you don't like being a geek?" she teased.

Kensuke's eyes widened. "No no no! Nothing like that!" he quickly got out. "It's… it's just…"

The more he tried to explain it the more flustered he got. Maya chuckled thinking it cute, and before she could really stop herself she locked lips with him.

To say Kensuke was surprised was an understatement, but as soon as his brain caught up to the fact that an incredibly cute and intelligent girl was kissing him, the connection became mutual. When they finally parted, she lay on the bed with him and tried her best to curl into him. Kensuke gently laid an arm around her.

But he couldn't help but think to himself that Shinji might have something to say about this.

Seeing Ritsuko on a nearby bed begged the question though.

"How did you free her?"

Maya raised her head a bit and saw what he was talking about. "Burst signal in her brain at the proper frequency. Doom is using nanites to control people. He…" she hesitated.

"Tell me."

"He got Toji."

Kensuke's eyes softened. "Damn…" he whispered. "We've got to free him."

"If you're thinking about using the device, don't. There is no way to effectively miniaturize the technology."

Kensuke's face set on determination. "Let me be the judge of that."

Untwining himself from Maya he got up and walked straight for the main computer. The fact that he was still wearing his cloths from over a day ago didn't factor into his equation. Maya got up after him and watched as he typed at unholy speeds and started creating prototype design specs for a portable version of the device.

"I'm telling you Ken-chan," she tried to explain, "it's not possible. There is no way to create a battery source for the amount of energy needed to send that pulse."

"I overheard something a while ago," Kensuke explained. "I heard that you had a crush on Akagi."

"Y-You knew!" Maya squeaked.

"Well I didn't know for sure but now you just confirmed it." He got a smack to the back of the head for that. "Love is a powerful emotion Maya. It was strong enough to keep Doctor Akagi from turning into a complete zombie to Doom's will."

"And?"

"And… think about it! Akagi must have felt something for you too otherwise she would have been no different than the clones. Instead she resisted just enough to help when Misato needed it."

Maya blushed at that prospect. She did have strong feelings for Akagi, but for some reason, Kensuke caught her heart in earnest. Thinking about that though made her put two and two together.

"So if someone close to Toji delivers this, we won't need a full charge to undo the control!"

"Precisely, and I know just who would fit the bill. Hikari."

"The class rep? Really?"

"He had such a crush on that girl but he never knew how to act on it. And Hikari… well, she'd never admit to it but she had a crush on him too."

"I don't know how you think you're going to deliver it. The pulse needs to be inside the brain to work. Toji is able to encase his entire body in steel."

"His whole body?"

"Yeah, all of it. Even his eyes."

"Wow, that just made this a whole lot easier." He began readjusting his plans.

"What do you…" her voice trailed as she saw what he was creating. "Of course! We'll use his head as a resonator for the signal! Ken-chan, you're a genius."

"Thanks," he replied. "Now to build it."

**

* * *

Hours Later, Russian Federation**

A lone building stood in the middle of an endless tundra. Only a few people still manned this station and it was not operated by the Russian Federation. Instead, the only marking of ownership was a triangular mask with 7 eyes.

"I don't understand what we need this baka for," Asuka complained as the wind assaulted her the moment Exodus dropped his AT Field.

"He'll make a good blunt object. I can already control the 9 Heralds, but our list of ground allies is rather thin, and I need to get to Doctor Doom before I can instigate the ceremony. He'll be of help, trust me. Besides, the two of you have something in common."

"Death touch?"

"In a manner of speaking," he replied.

"Okay, now I'm intrigued. How'd they come up with this guy?"

They landed outside the facility looking for external guards. Realizing there were none, he started moving towards one of the side doors.

"When Shinji fought the fourth angel, they managed to take it mostly intact. The genetic data NERV gathered from the angel was collected by SEELE and used to try to create a super soldier. It seems SEELE was at this before NERV was."

"Interesting enough," Asuka commented. "So how do we do this?"

"Would you like to knock, Rogue?"

On cue Rogue lifted her foot and kicked hard, sending the heavy metal door flying at incredible speeds down the hallway. Two guards that were approaching the door to check on a call from security were instantly crushed by the projectile.

"After you," she said.

Exodus walked into the facility as the alarms started going off.

"What do you suppose SEELE's response time is this far from Germany?" Rogue mused.

"Does it matter?" Exodus asked flatly.

"True. Quick question; How do we even know this guy is going to listen to you?"

"Because when they created him, the free-floating spirit of Shamshel possessed him," Exodus replied. "He, like most of the other angels, is loyal to me. Best of all, he wants another crack at Shinji."

"The Baka is mine."

"Why chance a one on one encounter when you can have backup and assure victory?"

"Because I don't need backup? I've never needed back up!"

"Oh… right," he started sarcasticly, "I forgot. You're the great Asuka Soryu Langley."

She punched him… and unlike when other girls normally punch him, this hurt.

"Ow! Damn it, I keep forgetting how strong you are."

She laughed at him. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll let the ubermonkey follow for insurance, but I still get the kill."

"As you wish."

Another door was kicked down, only this time AK-47's answered its collapse. Exodus protected by his AT Field simply ignored the fire. Rogue on the other hand didn't even bother raising one. The bullets hit her and sparked off of her body.

"Boring," she complained as she flew straight at the guards. She beat them down with little effort, the slightest strikes from her breaking bones with ease. Within moments there were no more direct threats.

"What we seek is nearby," Exodus stated as he approached a heavy metal door. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Rather than kicking it down, Rogue punched one side of it causing it to buckle. Then she shoved her hand in the hole she made and pulled hard enough to rip the entire door off its frame and toss it away. Beyond was a chamber where a huge man with a bestial look to him was chained to a wall. Massive titanium clamps were slapped over the underside of his wrists. His hair was long and wild, with a reddish tint to it.

"Exodus," he said, his voice laced with a thick Cossack accent. "It's about time. I was wondering when you were going to release me from this prison."

"My apologies Shamshel… or shall I call you by your given name, Omega Red?"

He laughed. "I like the name Omega Red."

Rogue walked up and broke apart the clamps allowing him to be free. Rogue took note of the openings on the undersides of his wrists, and remembered that the fourth angel had some form of heat whips.

"I see you keep much prettier company now," he chuckled. "Is it time to strike?"

"Soon, very soon…"

**

* * *

NERV**

Toji Suzahara had been here before, this time there was less anxiety. He laid on another table like the first one he was on when he first became the mutant juggernaut known as Colossus, this time wearing only something over his lower torso. The brackets closed around his wrists and ankles and the covers of the contraption he calls "The Iron Maiden" closed over him. Heavy gauge needles again pierced his flesh, and though he could have used his remarkable powers to stop their penetration, he knew what was happening to him this time and he wanted it to happen.

Doom threw the switch, causing a myriad of fluids to be pumped into his body. After a few minutes of this the machine stopped and opened releasing him.

"Well?" Doom asked as Toji stood up and again encased himself in living metal.

Without responding, he walked over to where there was a cube of Titanium set up. He picked up the cube and crushed it between his hands.

"I'd say the upgrade was successful," Colossus said dispassionately. "Next time I'm forced to fight She-Hulk, I'll be ready."

"Good. No mistakes this time," Doom replied.

**

* * *

Somewhere in Japan**

An old theater near the sea stood as a reminder of what was before second impact. Within the sounds of piano music could be heard. The song was "Moonlight Sonata". At the piano sat a boy around 15 years of age wearing white sneakers, black kaki pants, and a white button-down shirt, his white hair a mess on his head. He played flawlessly without ever opening his eyes, as if he were simply feeling the music.

Approaching him from behind were 5 men in all black special ops uniforms and full tack gear. Their heads and faces were covered but their eyes were still visible. One of the men in front of the group stealthily approached the boy, silently drawing his side arm and taking aim. He was less than 5 feet from his target.

As the song reached its climax, the boy brought his fingers to the keys hard. The instant he did so, it was as if a shaped charge had exploded just behind him. The man closest to him was completely blown to pieces, and the ones behind took varying degrees of dismemberment from the blast the further back they were, but none escaped it.

As the dust settled, one could see that even the stage behind him was blown out. The boy silently opened his eyes revealing them to be blood red like the eyes of an angel. He carefully closed the cover over the keys of the piano as he gently ran his hands across the smooth polished wood.

Standing up he walked towards the edge of the stage and stepped off. But instead of dropping to the ground, he dropped only a few inches before he began to float above the floor, content to levitate across the theater towards the exit.

"Yes," he said to himself. "Music is definitely the greatest achievement of the Lilum."

As he exited the door, he began to hum a gentle tune to himself… the tune of _Ode to Joy_.

* * *

**End of Chapter 21**

* * *

**A/N:** Short chapter this time, but it got the preliminary stuff out of the way and set the stage for the final chapters.

In case you were wondering, yes this chapter was meant to be short. The inclusion of Omega Red was not originally planned for this part of the story, but when one of the reviewers mentioned him, I started thinking about Shamshel and the similarities. I've already established that when angels die, they go back to the collective and normally they can no longer take part in the trials. However nothing says they can't come back in a different form. Ramiel and Armisael are two fine examples of that. Instead of a dual heat whip wielding calamari, how about a Russian with a Death Pheromone and Carbonadium Tendrils?

**Belthasar:** He really doesn't know she turned and became something else... yet.

**dennisud:** I really had no plans to involve Yui directly. Might be something for me to look into with a "What If" storyline.

**animefan29:** Someone was paying attention. lol

* * *

I do have an important announcement to make. To anyone still reading this, the last series of chapters which are in fact the endgame will be written together so it may take a bit to come out. I do not know yet if it will be in 3 parts, 4 parts or even 5 parts. It just depends on how long it gets. And their will be an epilogue chapter.

Thanks for reading and see you next chapter.


	22. The Perfect Storm, Part I

**Tempest Aterna**

**XXII: The Perfect Storm, Part I**

* * *

SEELE had been trying to kill him now for the better part of three days. They've sent all manner of assassins after him. First it was a black ops team that tracked him to the Sokoru Theater outside of Nikko. Then it was a few super powered angelically infused warriors when he got to Maebashi.

Kaworu Nagisa was beginning to feel quite unloved by his former masters. All he ever wanted to do was to get out, see what the Lilum were really like and learn about them from personal experience rather than video slides or computer aided lecture courses. So when he escaped them, he immediately began traveling all over the world to learn the true nature of humanity. He was both impressed and disturbed by what he saw. As he made his way across Europe, the differing cultures seemed to represent a myriad of possibilities. He saw mankind at its best and its worst.

But he wasn't a fool. He knew the real reason why his former masters wanted him dead. His original purpose was to attack NERV and attempt to initiate Third Impact, as was the goal of every Angel, and SEELE had insider knowledge on NERV which would have made it quite easy for him to get in. Under the guise of The Fifth Child, he could easily infiltrate NERV and perfectly plan his strategy.

But then things happened that no one could predict; The appearance of the Superwomen, Doctor Doom, Exodus, and a myriad of other consequences that conspired to derail plans that these silly old men had in place for over 3 decades.

When Ramiel sacrificed himself to become one with a human, Kaworu was overjoyed. He believed that this singular event would be the catalyst to finally end the war between the two races. But after Adam died, all his hopes shattered. Many of his brothers and sisters were killed, forced to return to the collective as free souls. And Arael…

He pushed that thought from his mind. Arael was closer to him than any of the others. Though Angels did not understand individual love, they did feel it. And Kaworu knew what he felt for Arael was individual love. Such a thing was forbidden of course, they were siblings, and if they were to have offspring they would have been more powerful than Adam himself. But that did not change the fact that what he felt for her was pure. Arael's death therefore, hit him the hardest of any of his kin.

But Kaworu never truly believed she had passed into oblivion, and part of his purpose now was to search for the fragments of her soul regardless of how many there were.

As he continued his trek across Japan, he soon reached the city of Tokyo-2. There were still scars here, left over from the few battles that took place over the city by various Nephilum. He wondered where Storm managed to find the strength to continue after her mother was murdered.

Then he remembered what happened. Blackheart forced her into a deal, one that had far reaching consequences and still haunted her to this day. He didn't blame her for her choice, knowing if he were in the same situation he might have done the same.

The fact that city seemed deserted threw up a flag immediately. He didn't have to be Admiral Ackbar to smell a trap, but he also knew he had already walked right into one.

Ahead of him landing softly was the costumed freak that wanted to be the true Adam, Exodus. He sensed at least two more Nephilum nearby, one of which felt like Shamshel.

Almost immediately the vile shadow of Adam spoke. "Tabris, at long last." He chuckled as if he had already won. "What is wrong with you my son? You don't call, you don't write, and you don't even drop by the collective to mingle anymore. One would think you've abandoned us."

"One would be correct in that assumption, Vahu." Tabris was not in the mood for this. "You and father both turned the collective into a mockery of its former self."

"How DARE you!" The yell cut through the air like an executioner's axe through the neck of the accused. "We are fulfilling father's dream! We are taking our rightful place as the masters of this world!"

"At what cost? The First Impact proved that the Lilum, not us, earned the right to this world."

"And they made a mistake by causing the Second Impact, one that we will capitalize on. You should stand with us Tabris, not against us."

"Despite the separation anxiety we felt when the All-Father was destroyed; I was almost overjoyed by the prospect of it. This was our chance to finally throw aside our differences and try to co-exist rather than continue this barbaric stupidity to its ultimate conclusion. But you had to push further, following the dictates of a failed god! Not even mentioning the stupidity that has been orchestrated by the current true heir of Adam himself, this so called Doctor Doom."

"I grow tired of this Tabris," Exodus growled.

"You and I both know the only reason you have any interest in me, is because while I am still alive, you can not go forward with the White Earth Ceremony."

"Quite right."

On that note, a long metal tendril lanced from out of nowhere and coiled around the waist of Tabris, swinging him into buildings at a high rate of speed before throwing him skyward into the path of Rogue.

"Going down," she quipped as she slammed both feet into him and flew straight down into street level, impacting the road and sinking in a good six inches.

Exodus causally walked over as Rouge stepped off of what seemed to be the broken form of Tabris.

"I didn't think it would be this easy," he called out as he approached. "I have to admit, I'm disappointed in you."

As soon as Exodus came within twenty paces, Tabris got back up, or rather he "hinged" back up, like vampires some times do in the movies. He didn't have a scratch on him.

"You assume too much," he said before he threw his hands forward sending Exodus back hundreds of feet. Exodus flipped, dropping his feet first then dropping into a three point stance and skidded to a halt. Rogue attempted to attack him from behind but Tabris was much faster, dropping onto his hands and back kicking almost like a mule to throw her away. Again a tendril lashes from no where but Tabris caught it throwing Omega Red into a building at high speed. Exodus ran at him again and the two began a martial dance, each trying to prove their superiority.

Exodus however proved to be the better combatant, having Kaji's combat experience behind him. Catching Tabris's arm and slamming him into the ground. As he attempted to get back up, Exodus kicked him hard into a building, propelling him through it. Waiting on the other side was Rogue, who punted him back through the building at a higher angle.

When he left the other side, two tendrils shot up after him grabbing him by the legs and neck, and ripping him out of the sky at high speed. When he slammed down, he was truly hurting. The tendril held him up by his neck and began to apply pressure causing Tabris to gasp for air.

"Now are you done being difficult?" Exodus taunted as he landed. Tabris watched as his right hand began to change its configuration into a wicked looking claw. "Let's get this over with quickly shall we?"

"Who… said… I was done?" Tabris gasped out. He suddenly created a psychokinetic burst in all directions with enough force to break Omega Red's hold and send all three of his oppressors into nearby buildings. Omega Red slammed into a small two story building which collapsed behind him as he exited the other side. Rogue was thrown upwards with enough force to level the nearest skyscraper three blocks away, and Exodus was blown into a different building but managed to telekinetically stop himself before he broke though the opposite end. By the time Exodus got back there, Tabris was gone, and he could not even sense him.

"Bastard," he whispered.

Rogue was next to come back, being nearly indestructible had its advantages.

"Tougher than we thought," she mused.

Exodus nodded. "We'll have to be more careful next time. It appears the Angel of Free Will has plenty of tricks up his sleeve."

**

* * *

X-Factor Headquarters, Outside Nagano**

Maya and Kensuke had been up early finishing the project. The finishing touches were now complete and the device was ready to use.

"So, you got a name for this thing?" Maya asked.

Kensuke smiled and said, "I call it the WTHUT."

Maya thought about it for a second. "I give up, what does that stand for?"

"Wake The Hell Up Toji," he said with a smile.

Maya chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation. "You seem in good spirits."

"I calculated that this device has a 72 percent chance of working," he remarked. "Last I checked that's better than the predicted success rate of all of NERV's crazy tactics against the angels combined. It's only got enough juice for one shot, so Hikari will have to make sure it counts."

Hikari entered the room at that point, having been told what had happened to Toji by Shinji. She was noticeably upset but trying to stay focused.

Kensuke looked at her with a level expression. "Do you understand the situation?"

"Yeah," she said sadly.

"And you know why this is going to work."

Hikari nodded. "Just tell me what I have to do."

"When you perceive his emotions are at their peak, slap this baby anywhere on his forehead and depress the button. Just be careful to make sure it stuck because it only has enough power for one shot."

Hikari nodded again. "I won't fail… I can't fail."

Kensuke placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "I know you won't."

She placed the item in a pocket and walked away, deep in thought.

"You didn't tell her the chance it would fail," Maya noted after she left the room.

"She doesn't need to know that. It'll only distract her more."

Hikari walked to the outside where the sun was beginning to set over the mountains. On a rock, she saw Rei perched enjoying the view with her wings in a neutral position. Hikari wasn't going to say anything at first as she never had a close relationship with the normally introverted girl. As it happens, Hikari wasn't the first to talk.

"You will succeed," she said evenly.

Hikari looked over at her wondering how she knew.

"Love, I have learned is powerful. Armisael would not have sacrificed herself if she did not love humanity. Arael would not have tried to contact Kensuke if she did not feel the capacity to learn to love us." Her gaze shifted to Hikari, and for the first time since Rei was transformed, she could see her pupils. "Your love and desire for Toji shall win over the evil that is Doom. I promise you that."

Hikari smiled softly. "Thank you… Archangel."

Rei smiled at her softly. It was the first time Hikari had ever seen one of Rei's rare smiles, and Hikari knew they were not going to be so rare anymore.

**

* * *

Darkness**

"This is a disaster!" yelled SEELE-02. "Doom has managed to create an army larger than any of us could have imagined! And now it seems he is poised to take control of all of Japan. And worse yet, Omega Red has escaped, apparently with help from Exodus."

(TRACE PATTERN ID: 77EE3A99)

"In any case," began SEELE-01, "the time is quickly approaching. Our assassins have not yet successfully liquidated Tabris. We must now leave it to NERV, or Exodus, to complete this vital step."

(KEEL LOCATED: 20.3 METERS SW)

(LIQUIDTION UNITS: GO IN 5…)

"It doesn't matter anymore," began SEELE-06, "none of you will survive."

Gasps were heard throughout the monoliths as they realized the voice of SEELE-06 was now female. Monoliths quickly shutdown but a few did not in time before the sounds of gunfire erupted through the audio network.

In a building hidden in northern Germany, the office door was kicked down revealing a dark room. The leader of SEELE, Lorenz Keel sat in a circular station. The multiple eyes of his cybernetic visor stared dispassionately at Mystique as she entered.

Mystique for her part has continued to evolve as she fulfilled her obligations to Doom. Her hair had darkened a bit and her skin had taken on the same blue pallor her hair had. Her eyes were still red and held no definition. Now she wore little, realizing that most clothing items interfered with her ability to properly shape shift. What she did wear could be considered "bare necessities", though she carried a shoulder satchel and a belt with a few items. Across her back was a pair of some kind of blades.

"You must be one of the Doom Guard," Keel offered darkly. "How did you manage to find us all?"

"You were the one who made the mistake that allowed it to happen, Chairman Keel," she explained. "While Doom had Kaji under his control, he revealed the locations of the other 11 members of SEELE. I can only assume he worked through specific contacts to locate you all. Units were dispatched to attack positions and waited until I completed my trace. You may have blocked traces to the outside, but from within SEELE's network, it was all too easy."

"Bravo," he said sarcastically. "You should be rewarded." He hit a button on one of his computers instantly causing a pair of turrets to reveal themselves from the left and right walls. They fired rapid streams of what appeared to be some form of stun bolts.

Mystique however was far too agile for even these weapons to hit her. She watched as Keel watched her and realized that his visor was the targeting interface for the weapons. With all the agility of the greatest of acrobats, she flipped, rolled slid and dodged across the office with incredible speed, as she flipped over the desk, she drew the only two weapons she had on her at the time, a pair of kukri and in the same flipping motion crossed her arms and took his head. As sparks flew from his cybernetic spinal column, the weapons shut down and his head rolled off. At last the old man found peace.

Mystique's earpiece began to come alive with com chatter from her assassins. The remaining 10 members (as Mystique had already dispatched one to start her trace) were already dead. A sigh escaped her lips as she realized it was finally over. But she still could not get the premonitions out of her head… being torn apart by She-Hulk in her mind over and over for the past few days wore on her. She did however take the necessary steps to prevent that fate the only way she knew how.

"Well done," she whispered and removed a small device from her belt. "Thank you ladies, your services are no longer required." She depressed the button on the small circular device.

Unbeknownst to the assassins assigned to Mystique, each of them carried the last step to covering her tracks. They were each holding a supply of C4. When Mystique depressed the button, they all detonated simultaneously with enough force to level the buildings they were in.

Mystique had set charges of her own here and proceeded out the door, taking the guise of a cute German girl with pig tails. She walked past the guard station and planted one more charge without the hormone ridden German guard noticing.

She then opened her pocket book and extracted a cigarette from it along with a zippo lighter. With a flick she opened her zippo lighter and struck the flint. A split second after she did so, the C4 on the guard station blew as did the explosives planted in Keel's building leveling everything and eliminating any potential witnesses.

As she exhaled her first drag off of the cigarette she mused to herself. "I guess this means I'm not going back to Japan after all. I wonder if the American Government could use someone with my talents."

For the first time in a few days, she smiled. Tonight she would sleep well.

**

* * *

Nagano**

The chase was wearing Kaworu thin, every time he turned around he was afraid Exodus would be there. So far he had been able to elude him, but he was going to run out of places to hide eventually.

"I thought we were through with this game," came the voice of Exodus.

"Speak of the devil," he thought darkly, and prepared himself for combat again.

**

* * *

Nearby**

"Thank god they sell Yabisu here!" came the voice of Misato as Shinji was busying filling two grocery carts full of various food items.

"Sometimes I wish you'd do the old twelve step Misato-san," he commented as five full cases of the stuff was added to a third cart.

"Aw come on Shinji-kun," she whined. "You wouldn't deny me my simple vices would you?"

He was about to say something to that when an explosion a few blocks away shattered the windows of the grocery store causing people to scream in panic and forcing both of the X-Factor teammates to hit the deck.

"The hell was that?!" Misato yelled.

"Obviously an explosion," Shinji shot back as he slid out from cover and ran out of the grocery store.

Misato turned to a nearby clerk and said, "Let anyone else touch my beer and there will be hell pay," as her eyes flashed over green and she stared her transformation. Luckily, Misato had taken to wearing her uniform under her street clothing, and was fully transformed only after she left the building.

Kaworu was thrown through another building by Rogue who seemed intent on taking him down this time, but the Angel was proving resilient and quickly retuned to his feet. As Asuka closed on him, a blast of energy from out of nowhere slammed into her throwing her into a parked car with great force. As she recovered she grabbed the vehicle by its frame through the door and threw it in the direction the blast originated, only to watch it explode before it reached its target.

Out of the flames came Shinji looking none too pleased. "So you decided to join the club, eh Asuka?" he stated flatly.

"Oh I've been waiting for this, Baka. I still owe you pain."

"Come and get me then," he taunted. "I kicked your ass once, I can do it again."

"Not this time Baka." She left the ground flying towards Shinji at a high rate of speed, but he managed to dodge and unleash another blast of energy. Asuka didn't seem affected by it at all, which worried him.

"She's not using her AT Field," he thought. "She must be a lot more resilient than most."

She-Hulk arrived on the scene to see Kaworu getting up and some beast of a man with metallic tendrils stalking towards him. Although She-Hulk smelled angel on the kid, she remembered the last few angels were trying to make peace, and immediately turned her attentions on the aggressor.

"Stupid man! She-Hulk hate stupid man!" and she rushed him though her initial punch was blocked by this oaf, barely.

Omega Red then began to emit his pheromone causing She-Hulk to stagger as she felt as if her life was draining out of her. This of course pissed her off more and she roared at the man kicking him away. As he flew back, Red threw both of his tendrils at She-Hulk, successfully wrapping them around her arms, he then pull himself back in at high speed delivering a devastating double kick to She-Hulk's face, knocking her back as he extended his tendrils. He then anchored himself and threw her into a nearby 3 story building, collapsing it before letting her go and retracting his tendrils.

As he turned back towards Kaworu he got slammed in the face for his troubles by a formerly parked pickup truck which threw him back. The telekinetic power of the Seventeenth Angel was whipped up in a fury as he grabbed more abandonded vehicles and continued throwing them, until one exploded causing a chain reaction that threw vehicle parts ninety feet into the air.

She-Hulk recovered from the building crash quickly and looked for the target. The pile of burning car parts exploded as the tendrils of Omega Red whipped out shredding metal and nearby building faces in the same lash. He kicked his way out of the wreckage growling as he did, clearly not in a good mood.

Bishop for his side was not holding well against Rogue. Exodus stood nearby watching the melee and deciding if he should get involved or not. Rogue finally slammed Bishop into the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him. She grasped the front of his outfit and pulled her fist back, ready to smash his face in.

But just then she felt something in her mind… it was a realization of what she was turning into. Her eyes softened as she felt a pang of guilt. Her experiences with Shinji began to come back to her. The laughs, the times he stood up for her when no one else would, the times he stood up for Mayumi when it mattered most. He was a good person, she realized and though she didn't really consider herself to be a good person anymore, she realized she couldn't take this last step, no matter how bruised her ego was.

Sure she had killed before, in Siberia to spring Omega Red. She kicked down doors and squashed humans, but they were working for SEELE… her enemy even before she was ensnared by Exodus, though at the time she never realized it. Only recently had Shinji become an enemy… and why, because she wouldn't leave well enough alone? It was her arrogance that drove her to do this. Her obsessions drove her forward to a destructive end.

And in that moment of perfect clarity she realized what will happen once the White Earth Ceremony is done… so many innocents will die… but they won't just die… they will cease to be.

"What are you waiting for Rogue?" yelled Exodus from behind her. "Finish him!"

This was what he wanted… but it wasn't what she really wanted anymore. Shinji may be a no good baka hentai, but he still had a place in her heart, despite the fact that she would never occupy the same within his. He was still important to her. And though she didn't know all the innocents around her from any other, they didn't deserve oblivion, no matter how weak they were.

"What are you waiting for damnit! You want to be weak like him? Finish him off! Now!"

He just said it… weak like him. But Shinji was never truly weak… he had an inner strength that went above and beyond what she had. He always looked weak, but inside he was even stronger than her. If showing compassion was weakness, maybe strength wasn't all it was cracked up to be. But she knew that compassion was not weakness, Shinji taught her that much.

"This is pathetic! I could have killed him five times over by now! Stop being a pathetic weakling and finish it!"

Snap

Her hand reared back as Shinji looked on at her, but before she would land the finishing blow, she made a decision. For better or for worse, it ended now.

She dropped Bishop and spun around delivering a hard right hook into Exodus's face before he had a chance to react. The hit threw him back and he skipped off the ground on his back fifty feet away. After the bounce he tried to recover when Rogue caught up to him, flying parallel to the ground slamming both hands into his chest as he tried to correct himself, and flew him through a building.

Bishop recovered, getting out of the depression his body had made when he hit the street and ran after them both. For some reason Asuka turned on Kaji, and he just knew once Exodus came to his senses, Rogue, as he called her, was in trouble. He also knew that Storm was coming by now, and she wasn't far.

Omega Red was proving to be far too strong for his own good. Though She-Hulk was stronger, Red had enough agility to out maneuver her making him a match for her. Tabris for his part was trying desperately to help the massive Amazon that was trying to save him.

Tabris moved in from his rear as Omega Red was busy trying to pummel the green giant into submission, deftly dodging her blows with a combination of agility and crafty tendril work. As soon as he got close though, a tendril whipped back and grasped him, binding his arms to his sides and began to squeeze him. Omega Red jumped back behind Tabris releasing his pheromone to begin sapping the angel's life force.

"Time to die, little angel," he hissed. She-Hulk stomped forward but realized she probably couldn't do anything about this. And then, in a nick of time, Storm showed up. She flew in above him and used her magnetic powers to pry open his tendril.

"What?!" Omega exclaimed as he fought back against the intense magnetic forces prying Tabris loose. As soon as Tabris got clear, a massive bolt of lightning struck Omega directly, stunning him. She-Hulk took her opportunity grasping Omega by both arms pulling in different directions. He fought back against the pull and managed to slip out of her grasp, but She-Hulk grasped his tendrils and started quickly wrapping them around her hands.

Before Omega Red could react his tendrils were stretched to their limit and She-Hulk kicked him with all her might, ripping the offending appendages out of his arms. He screamed in pain from the loss of the tendrils and slammed into a car almost 2 blocks away.

As he tried to get up, finding it difficult to use his arms now, he saw a shadow over him quickly getting larger. He looked up in time to see She-Hulk diving from above in a double fisted overhead attack.

"She-Hulk SMASH!" she yelled as she came down and delivered all the force she could into the attack. She hit so hard that the ground shook in every direction, and nearby earthquake detectors registered a 5 point 8. Omega Red was instantly crushed reducing him to a pink stain which quickly turned orange as what was left of his body dissolved into LCL. A roar of triumph marked the second death of Shamshel.

Nearby, the battle between Rogue and Exodus took a turn for the worst. When Exodus got his wits back about him, sometime after going through the second building, his eyes flashed detonating the air around Rogue which blew her back hard. She had taken a direct blast, and even her nearly indestructible body had its limits.

As she tried to get back up again, Exodus slammed his foot down on her neck pinning her and cutting off blood circulation which weakened her. It felt like she was in the locker room again, with Shinji's hands around her throat. Only this time it was someone she thought could never hurt her. To be fair, she did hit him first…

"You pathetic little child," he taunted. "I took you in, loved you like a wife, gave you undreamt of power and this is how you repay me?" His right hand began reforming itself into a wicked claw; she could see his AT Field begin to warp around the individual blades. "If you would treat my gifts to you so callously, then I shall treat your life with the same courtesy."

Before he could he was blasted off of her by a massive burst of energy. Without his AT Field protecting him, the blast threw him a good distance. As Asuka wondered what just happened she saw Bishop, her Shinji, leap over her to continue to battle.

"Get away from her you monster!" he yelled as he went.

Even now, he was protecting her. She coughed as her breathing began to get easier again, and she struggled with her fussy vision.

Exodus fought back using his best combat tricks, but Bishop had seen it all before. He blocked and countered at every opportunity. Exodus tried his eye flash attack only to have the energy absorbed and thrown back into him as a point blank blast of raw power. It stunned him but didn't move him this time. Bishop took the opportunity to pummel Exodus for all he was worth finally slamming him into a building.

"I'll kill you!" Bishop growled. "Everything you touch you corrupt or destroy. It ends now!"

Exodus chuckled darkly. "My boy," he hissed. "This is only the beginning." Using a massive telekinetic blast, the one energy type Bishop can't seem to effectively absorb. He blew the building behind him out and threw Bishop into the one across the street. He then flew into the air in time to see Storm floating there looking pissed off as was normal.

"This isn't over," Exodus yelled. "Soon the end will come, and all of you shall perish!" His cloak flared out as he laughed sadistically and disappeared into a golden light.

"I'm really starting to get tired of him," Storm said dryly.

She-Hulk powered down and walked over to Tabris as she fully returned to normal. "You ok?" she asked.

"Fine thank you," he replied. "I'm indebted to you. My name is Kaworu Nagisa, but you probably know me as Tabris."

"Tabris!" Misato said with surprise. "You're the Seventeenth Messenger?"

"I am," he said. "And like my sister before me, I'm here to discuss the future, not annihilation. I sensed strong life forms near here and decided to investigate. It would seem Vahu, the man you know as Exodus, is attempting to do what I will not."

"Why was he trying to kill you?" Storm asked as she landed behind him.

"Because until I'm dead, he can not initiate Third Impact."

Bishop walked over to where Rogue was getting out of the hole.

"Are you alright Rogue?"

"I'll live, Baka," she replied. "You… saved my life. I don't know… what to say."

"Come with us Asuka," he offered. "I'd like to have you back."

"You… you would," she said as a tear began to trail from her eye.

She closed the distance and was about to jump on him in a hug when her mind stopped her entire body. It was then that she realized what she had allowed to happen to herself. Exodus was the only person she could ever touch now, and he had forsaken her.

"What is it?" Shinji asked, seeing the sudden wave of sadness come over her.

"Oh Shinji," she said between tears. "I… I wish I could touch you."

"But I'm right here," he said as he stepped forward. Asuka quickly stepped away from him.

"Don't!" she cried out. "If you touch me… I'll start absorbing your life energy… you could die! It's…" her voice lowered, "it's not something… I can control."

The reality of it hit him like a brick. Exodus had his revenge against her after all. This was part of his control. While he was immune to her life draining touch, no one else was… and therefore he was the only person she could ever have physical contact with… ever.

"Oh god Asuka… I'm… I'm sorry."

She said nothing as she collapsed in the street and let the tears fall. All she ever wanted in life was to be loved and adored, to be held by strong arms and comforted by another's touch. After her mother died, she was a tool, and she built up the walls of her heart to keep everyone else out, depriving herself of what she truly needed. Now she finally understood what she desired, what she needed… and now it was forever denied.

Asuka screamed…

**

* * *

Outside Tokyo-2, Two Hours Later**

Onslaught floated in the air above the city. Below her the grounds of the city were being fortified after the last battle to take place here. But now it was being used as a staging ground. The Japanese government had finally gotten wise to Doom's operation and the JSSDF was setting up Tokyo-2 as the primary rally point for its attack on NERV.

But what they didn't know was that a mass of 2000 Doom Infantry was secretly approaching the city from two sides. Each of these soldiers, easily the equal of a dozen JSSDF troopers were ready to exact the commands of their master. Feeling no pain, knowing no fear and never disobeying orders regardless of how suicidal, they would make easy work of the Japanese Government's finest recruits. The city would fall within hours by Onslaught's estimation.

"All troops are in position Lord Doom," Onslaught reported.

"Colossus in position," Colossus reported. "We are undetected."

"Begin the attack," Doom ordered. "Show no quarter, take no prisoners."

"Hail Doom," both his generals responded as one.

**

* * *

**

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**A/N: **Please save all reviews for after the last chapter.


	23. The Perfect Storm, Part II

**Tempest Aterna**

**XXIII: The Perfect Storm, Part II**

* * *

X-Factor Headquarters was the last place Asuka ever thought she would find herself. Still trying to come to grips with everything, she accepted Shinji's invitation to join them, now desiring to get back at Exodus for effectively ruining her life.

She had to admit, they were better organized that she had originally anticipated. They had top of the line gear, several vehicles and apparently two of the most brilliant minds from NERV on their side; Ritsuko Akagi and Maya Ibuki . What drove her nuts however was the fact that not only where they there, but apparently one of the stooges was under their flag as well; Aida Kensuke.

But when she learned what he was capable of creating, she had to admit she was at least mildly impressed. Apparently the otaku had come far since the beginning of the year, and he seemed less nerdy now. Of course, she almost threw a fit when she found out Maya and him were an item now, but in the end she decided it was probably for the best. The geeks deserved each other didn't they?

This of course brought her back to her current dilemma, her uncontrollable powers.

"And this is Tabris, the Seventeenth Angel," Storm said the team, for the benefit of those who were just catching up. She spent the last 10 minutes describing what happened in Nagano, making sure everyone was up to speed. "His human name is Kaworu Nagisa."

"How do you do," he said politely giving a respectful bow.

"So now we know why everyone seems to want to kill you," Bishop commented. "You're safe with us Kaworu. We'll do everything in our power to make sure you're safe."

"I appreciate the gesture Bishop, but it is not in my nature to avoid combat. I came here to both help and end the war. As the only surviving true angel left, the second is obviously in the bag. We will not be safe from the threat of Third Impact however, until Exodus has been slain."

"And the world won't be safe until Doom is brought to justice," Storm commented.

"Speak of the devil," Forge interjected. "Looks like he's started putting his plans into motion…" He pulled up the information on a local website that was reporting the happenings in Tokyo-2. He also had several videos playing from a popular video sharing site.

"But Tabris still lives," Rei noted as she saw the events unfolding. "He is taking a risk by proceeding early."

"A gambit," Kaworu observed, "He's banking on the fact that all of his enemies will come to him."

"A trap?" Bishop asked.

"Nothing so elaborate," Storm replied. "Doom is a very capable combatant. It will take teamwork to take him down. He has a lot of internalized energy like Bishop and can likewise absorb some forms of energy, especially electrical power. He also carries numerous gadgets and weapons on him of his own design. His armor and weapons are f-LS but he's likely solved the magnetism and conductivity issues by now, knowing this day would come. But I'm no one trick pony."

"And this time," Rogue stepped forward, "you've got more back up. I've wanted to punch that bastard in the face ever since I worked for NERV. Looks like today might be that day."

"Ok here's the plan," Storm said to get every one's attention. "Archangel and I will search out and deal with Onslaught. Spirit; find and deal with Toji, or whatever he's called now. Bishop, Forge, She-Hulk, Tabris and Ms Fantastic are on surface damage control. Remember the clones aren't really living things, so take the kid gloves off. Rogue, you'll be in charge of supporting the ground, but I know you'll have an easier time sensing Exodus if he decides to join the party. I wouldn't put it past him to show up now. If anyone runs into Doom, call for back up. Don't try to be a hero."

The members of X-Factor nodded their understanding of the plan.

"Ladies and gentleman… this is it. This is our chance to end this insanity for good. I won't lie… it will be dangerous, but together we can do it. You have one hour to prepare."

The team broke up at that point to get ready. Forge accidentally brushed Rogue in skin to skin contact briefly causing his skin to tingle and turn cold.

"Ai!" he said as she jumped.

For the first time in anyone's recollection, Asuka actually apologized. "Sorry. I… I can't control it."

"That's an unusual power you have there," Forge commented.

"What would you know uber geek?"

Forge ignored the insult. "I was just thinking, your energy draining property is not too dissimilar to Bishops…"

"Oh?"

A flash of inspiration came over Forge. "We have time, come with me."

Rogue, thinking she didn't have anything to lose, followed Kensuke into his personal lab.

Outside, Misato confronted Shinji as he started getting his equipment together.

"Why did you invite her, knowing she used to work for Exodus?"

"Exodus ruined her life Misato-san," he replied. "She wants him taken out as much as the rest of us. Believe it or not, I actually trust her."

"After everything she's done to you?" Misato questioned.

Shinji paused for a moment seeming to think about this before he responded. "Yes… more than ever."

Meanwhile in Kensuke's Lab, Asuka watched as Forge started pulling down boxes of material.

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

"I was just thinking that I might be able to give you control over your powers using a modified version of something I built to assist Bishop." He opened a box and removed a pair of metal bracers he built for Bishop as a back up set. He then opened the access ports on their undersides and grabbed his tools. "The type of energy you absorb is different, but when you get down to it, energy is energy. It's all in how you manipulate it. Most forms of energy can be controlled via electromagnetic shielding."

Rogue was skeptical but at the same time, she knew she had to try. It was her only hope of reclaiming a normal life.

Within fifteen minutes Forge was finished. "There, put these on."

Rogue took the bracers and looked them over, then put them on over her forearms and locked them into place. She felt a tingle of energy on her skin where they were touching but otherwise didn't feel any different.

"If I'm right, and I usually am, the bracers once activated should effectively suppress your power." Forge then activated the bracers for her and grabbed hold of her hand before she could react. After a few moments, Rogue realized he wasn't being drained. But after thirty seconds the bands began beeping. He let go at that point and shut them down.

"Not bad for less than half an hour of work," Rogue commented. "Can you create bracers that can do it on a more long term basis?"

"Given time, probably." He thought about it more. "I'd have to do a full redesign of them but it's possible. I don't have time now."

"So how did you do it?" Rogue sounded a bit happier now that she knew there just might be a chance she could have a semi-normal life again.

"The bracers I designed for Bishop allow him to store additional energy in their capacitors that he can tap into later. What I did was make it so that kinetic movement charged the energy capacitors. When activated, they create a minor electromagnetic field around your body and use it to shield whoever you're touching from your power. Once the energy runs out though, which as you can see doesn't take very long, the field drops and…"

"…things return to normal," she concluded. "Tell me, do you think Exodus might be using a similar field to protect himself from my touch? What would happen if the two fields collided?"

Forge considered this. "Two possibilities; nothing at all and he's still immune, or the fields cancel each other out in which case you'd be able to affect him for a short time."

"And what's the chance of the latter?"

"I'd say, maybe 12 percent at best."

Rogue sighed. "Better odds than I usually get."

Forge raised an eyebrow. "You're not thinking…"

Rogue raised up one of her arms staring at the bracer there. "If it comes to it, I might as well try."

**

* * *

Tokyo-2, 2 Hours Later**

Outside of the city, an unmarked box truck drove up and stoped. In the distance, the sounds of explosions, gunfire and screaming can be heard, echoing across the field like a phantom of ages past. The back of the truck opened and Misato get out, immediately beginning her transformation into She-Hulk. Spirit, Storm and Archangel all flew out of the truck and land on top of it looking towards the city, and one by one the rest of the team, minus Doctor Akagi who was back at base still, exited the vehicle.

"My God," Spirit whispered. "It's worse than I thought."

"Doom's forces will overrun the city within the next 2 hours if we do not intervene," Archangel noted. A moment later, Rogue flew up there to join the rest of the girls. "We should approach from a flanking direction; we may catch Doom and his forces off guard."

"Don't get your hopes up Wondergirl," Rogue commented. "Chances are he knows we're coming."

Forge was the last to leave the truck, making sure that what he had loaded was secure. "I have the party favors. Just let me know when I have a clear area to set up." On his back was a new backpack, it looked similar to the packs used by a few of the team members that was created by Ms Fantastic, but his was thicker.

Ms Fantastic gave him a kiss on cheek. "Be careful hun," she told him.

Forge smiled at her. "I will." Then his look turned towards Bishop who was looking a bit cross with him. "What?"

Bishop just shook his head and jumped onto She-Hulk's back. "Nothing at all," he replied. "But we will be having a discussion after this is over. Mark my words Forge."

Tabris stepped out of the passenger seat of the van, dressed in a White and Silver plugsuit. "You should not be so hard on them Bishop," he said. "Love is a wonderful thing and should not be interfered with."

"Maybe," Bishop whispered as She-Hulk began her run.

**

* * *

Minutes Later**

General Colossus stood upon a large truck watching as his forces combed the street building by building. They eliminated anyone they found that had a weapon ignoring civilians unless they interfere. Any civilian that did was mercilessly gunned down as an example to the others. But these were not Colossus's orders.

He didn't really agree with it; these civilians were just trying to protect their homes from invaders, but it was the way Doom himself wanted it so Colossus did not question it.

"If Kensuke knew this aspect of war, I wonder if he'd still be an otaku?" he mused as he watched another innocent family dragged out of their home for disobeying the curfew.

Just as they were going to be gunned down with sonic blasters a blur of white dropped between the captors and the captives. The blasters fired, coming in contact with an AT Field of immense power. Colossus waited until the space warping effects of the sonic blasters cleared and saw someone he did not expect.

Spirit had swept in at the last moment and saved the civilians. Colossus was expecting to see Storm since the special abilities Doom crafted into him were designed to counteract her powers; He was internally grounded being able to absorb electrical energy and use it to fuel his muscles, he could tap into her magnetic abilities forcing her to be pulled towards his metal body, and he was coated with a type of organic metal that can resist freezing. All these attributes together would have given him significant advantages against the Angel of Thunder, but against Spirit, he had to rely on his basic talents; near indestructibility, and strength that could rival that of She-Hulk. If she takes to the sky, he had no doubt that his ability to leap would be able to bring her down quickly and keep the fight on the ground.

He signaled his troops to back off. As soon as they did, Spirit turned towards him with a look of determination on her face.

Colossus laughed boisterously before he spoke. "So… I finally get to face a real opponent… the great Spirit."

"And who do I have the pleasure of facing?" She asked.

"I am Colossus, one of Doom's Generals. I've been looking forward to some real competition. Don't let me down."

"You just bit off more than you can chew," Spirit replied mentally adding Toji to her sentence. She couldn't believe it, but looking at the face and hair shape she had no doubt that this was the jock that had her heart.

Colossus jumped down from his perch and started walking towards her at a brisk pace. Spirit figured she's start the combat on the ground and give him the impression he had the advantage before taking wing and blasting him until she could face him proper.

Spirit reared her first back and threw the first punch but Colossus appeared to be waiting for that and threw his punch at the same time. As their fists struck each other Spirit felt the bones in her hand instantly shatter under the force of the hit and bit her tongue to keep from screaming out. Colossus pressed the advantage delivering a left hook that threw her off her feet and into a nearby car with enough force to roll the vehicle.

"Disappointing so far," he chuckled. "You'd better pick up the pace Spirit, otherwise I'm gonna get bored with this real quick."

The car was thrown off of her with a strong swipe of her wing, a glint of steel along the outside edge fading away. Colossus watched as she used her left hand to pry open her mangled right hand, snapping the bones he broke back into place and regenerating them quickly. Her aura began to glow white and Colossus could feel the warmth off of it.

"Just warming up metal-head," she taunted.

**

* * *

Other Side of the City**

Atop a roof, Onslaught watched the bedlam below with a sense of satisfaction. The screams of the so called innocents as they were dragged out of buildings and gunned down or beaten to death was as a symphony to her. As she enjoyed the chorus, she sensed the presence of two angelic creatures nearby.

"Storm again," she whispered in disdain as she opened her eyes. "This time you've brought Archangel with you. This is good."

Storm and Archangel floated in the air about twenty feet in front of Onslaught. Storm had her arms neutral at her side while one knee was slightly bent. Her hair flowed in the air currents around her and lightning seemed to tease her body as it occasionally jumped around her. Archangel stood with her legs together, toes pointed down and her arms crossed. Her wings spread behind her seeming to move little in the wind.

The skies above rumbled with thunder as they normally do when Storm is around, although this time, the skies seemed to churn more chaotically. Storm's pure white eyes seemed to sparkle with barely contained sparks of energy.

"Perhaps now you'll present a challenge to me," Onslaught continued. "Our last meeting was… somewhat disappointing."

"It ends tonight Onslaught," Storm said with resolve. "You won't live to see a clear sky again."

"Strong words," Onslaught noted. "Let's see if you can back them up."

Onslaught began to float off the ground, the building below her tore itself apart as iron trusses and support beams ripped themselves out of it. Over 20 stories collapsed in moments as Storm and Archangel took more of a defensive posture.

"Remember," Storm said barely over the wind so that only Archangel could hear her. "Onslaught is not to be underestimated. She has a lot of power behind her and her ability to manipulate magnetic forces is well beyond my capabilities."

"Acknowledged," was all she said. For recently beginning to get a handle on her emotions, her cold and calculating persona still sent chills up the spines of those who knew her as Rei Ayanami… perhaps more so now that she has truly become an angel.

With the sound of metal accelerated beyond the speed of sound, the battle between them began. Storm and Archangel immediately broke left and right to dodge the incoming swarm of projectiles as Onslaught moved to intercept Storm. She delivered a powerful kick towards the superwoman but was blocked easily, instigating a point blank melee.

Onslaught and Storm's fists met in mid swing, their collision sounded like a thunder crack, but neither broke any bones from the impact. Storm threw a few more attacks to keep Onslaught on her guard before quickly speeding away. Onslaught spun and saw archangel covering herself with all four wings before spreading them quickly and unleashing a swarm of razor sharp blades. Onslaught tried to use magnetics to control their flight but found that the metal was not affected by magnetism. She decided instead to throw up her AT Field to block the projectiles.

But she almost had a heart attack when she saw them punch straight through with no resistance. She dodged at the last second but a few of the blades still caught her, tearing through her body and armor with no resistance. The damage however was superficial at best as Onslaught quickly regenerated the damage and prepared to face Archangel in close combat.

Archangel was adept at using her wings as weapons to the point that her combat flowed like a dance. To Onslaught, it was as if she was fighting 3 people at once as her opponent attacked with a flurry of razor sharp bladed wings and rapid strikes. As part of her discipline and training, Rei was taught several forms of martial arts at a young age. She would almost be the equivalent of Kaji under such conditions. Although Onslaught herself was taught much of the martial arts during her development, she lacked experience that only years of practice could give her.

As a result Archangel was able to inflict some harm to her. The last attack being a back hand with one of the larger of the two sets of wings sending her into Storm who wasted no time nailing her with a lightning backed punch in the middle of the back. Before she could recover. Storm grabber her by the shoulders and threw her into a nearby structure.

As she flew she flipped over and managed to slow down her flight so when she hit the structure, she made a dent rather then a hole. As she bounced off, she saw Storm flying at her at high speed and managed to grab her and slam her head into the wall making an impression. As Archangel flew in to save her, Onslaught threw her at her would-be savior causing them both to collide. Then she unleashed a strong series of energy pulses from her hands that spiraled into them both causing a lot of pain and seared flesh.

The both separated as Onslaught flew in with her taloned gauntlets extended. Archangel unleashed another blade storm but this time Onslaught was ready. She focused her AT Field doubled to that direction and this was enough to stop the blades in flight. Storm seeing she left a flank opened unleashed a swarm of electrical bolts, but a veritable wall of iron formed from the still floating building supports rose up to block it. Onslaught then spun about throwing the wall of electrified metal into Archangel while again flying at Storm, this time slamming in her hard.

Archangel did a cross slash with her razor edged wings and destroyed the huge chunk of metal that was thrown at her. The electrical energy did transfer to her wings but this didn't hurt at all. She quickly flew in to deal with Onslaught when she had a building thrown at her from the flanking side, ripped out of its foundation and thrown by virtue of its steel frame. Not expecting that, she ended up sandwiched between two buildings, falling into one of them unable to move.

**

* * *

Elsewhere**

On the ground, She-Hulk and Rogue were proving to be an efficient team, quickly overrunning the fortified positions set up by the Doom Infantry below. She-Hulk was able to resist the sonic blasters and machine gunfire by virtue of her dense body and fast regeneration. Rogue's virtually indestructible nature allowed her to plow though, simply by virtue that they couldn't even so much as slow her down.

As a corner of the city was cleared by the advancing superwomen, Ms Fantastic worked closely with Bishop and Tabris to secure a setup location, which in this case was a four way intersection on the west side of Tokyo-2.

A group of Doom Infantry snuck in behind the group and set up an attack consisting of two heavy machinegun emplacements. Once dug in the opened fire causing the group to disperse to cover quickly. Tabris however did not run.

Tabris compressed his AT Field into roughly the same size and shape as a katana without hilt or guard. Only a silvery outline showed the location of the blade and as he rushed the first position, he used it to deflect the machinegun fire away from him. If one looked closely they would see the strike locations of the machinegun bullets sent tiny waves of energy out in hexagonal shapes.

Further manipulating his AT Field, once he got close, he formed his AT Energy into a series of throwing blades that he threw with expert accuracy and backed up their speed with a telekinetic burst, taking out the gunner and the loader in one shot. As he landed he lashed out, transferring angelic power directly into his AT Blade and slicing through the infantry. The pale reflections of Ayanami fell in pieces around him.

The other position was bombarded with blasts of raw power by Bishop as Ms Fantastic, on her rollerblades quickly closed the distance. Upon arrival she jumped the barrier and unleashed a wave of flaming energy around her by superheating the air. The gunner and her loader died as the ammunition from the heavy weapon cooked off, and the others attempted to flee to avoid the flames. But Ms Fantastic knew from her goggles that more were coming.

Forge stopped the truck in the middle of the intersection and raised the concussion shield around it to buy him some time. He knew under the sonic blasters though, that more permanent defensives would be necessary. First thing's first though, he went to the back of the truck and hit a kick plate on a large and long box in the back. The top opened and the back end of a long weapon arose to a 60 degree angle off the horizontal. At that moment a slot on his backpack opened revealing a robotic arm of some form that began to extend out. Forge held out his right arm parallel to the floor and the arm raised up along the back, attaching itself via several almost manacle like closures over his bicep, elbow and wrist. A rail extended from the end of the arm which Forge then inserted into the weapon hard until it locked in place. Then he lifted up the heavy pulse cannon.

The weapon was built based on a special design using technology Forge referred to as "Variable Geometry". It was designed to fire many different types of munitions depending on the situation and change its own configuration depending on what was needed. Forge then picked up what appeared to be a set of goggles similar to Ms Fantastic's and put them on.

Kicking the plate on the box again, a small platform showed up extending from the bottom edge. Forge stepped on it and a set of bracing rails shot up around his legs, connecting additional flight thrusters and shock absorbing units to the bracing as they attached. Finally part of the front side of the box rose up and Forge slid his left arm computer into it. Two smaller additional units were connected to either side of the bracer.

On the back of his backpack there were now 6 cylinders set horizontally. He would need these soon.

As he jumped out of the back of the truck, the concussion shields he set up started pulsing to life as another group of infantry made their move.

"Gatt," Forge said flatly and the weapon on his right arm responded. It unfolded and extended a 5 barrel system braced with circular steel plates. As soon as the transformation was completed, he unleashed the raw power of the energy based rapid fire cannon into the infantry. They scrambled for cover but several of them were taken out in the first few seconds the weapon went active. As infantry in cover began to fire back, Forge let off the trigger and activated the device on his left arm.

It sprung into life instantly creating a circular plane of force that acted like a shield which Forge used to duck behind in a crouched position. As pulses of sonic energy bounced off of the shield and detonated around him, Ms Fantastic moved in to intercept the attackers.

"RPG," Forge commanded and the weapon's barrel seemed to explode outwards and spin before collapsing into a smooth bore weapon with a much shorter barrel. Continuing to use his shield as cover he aimed up and fired a grenade over their cover position. The explosion caused the upper level of the building they were set up in front of to collapse in a shower of glass and concrete. The confusion caused by this bought enough cover time for Ms Fantastic to get in there and deal with the infantry.

No longer being fired on, Forge got up and deactivated the shield. Then he reached back and drew one of the cylinders as Tabris caught up with him.

"I've always been impressed by how ingenious Lilum can be with their technology," he commented.

"You know what they say Tabris," Forge replied, "'Necessity is the mother of 'invention'." He chuckled as a long spike extended from one side of the cylinder and he slammed it into the ground on that imposing iron stake. "Makes we wonder what kind of machines I can come up with if I had more free time."

With a whirling sound the spike dug in dropping to the floor and anchored. The top spun opened revealing a set of propeller blades. One side unfolded into a vertically aligned rotor and the small drone took off from its platform. The remaining pad opened up revealing a small turret with a laser sight that began scanning around. Tabris looked at Forge questioningly.

"Dual sentry," he replied. "They're programmed to avoid civilians and friendlies."

"Fascinating."

Forge handed him two cylinders. "Apply these there and there." As soon as the locations were pointed out, he moved to plant them. Within moments each street moving in was covered by one of Forge's sentries. He set the last two in the camp itself near the truck.

"And we have our safe zone."

Ms Fantastic roller-bladed over to him. "We're clear for the moment," she reported. "Doesn't look like anymore are coming just yet."

Forge hit is earpiece, "She-Hulk, come in."

"She-Hulk busy!" she roared on the other end. The sound of an explosion followed by something reminiscent of a rolling vehicle could be heard. "Bother Bishop!"

"O-kay then. Bishop come in."

"Go ahead," came his voice as another explosion was heard.

"What's your status?"

"Just peachy. Rogue and She-Hulk are in a contest to see who can kill more infantry. Still no sign of Doom."

"Understood. Base Camp is established, keep us informed."

"Out."

**

* * *

In the Skies Above**

Another building on the north side of town blew apart as Onslaught threw Archangel through it at high speed. Instantly she was jumped again by Storm. Metal flew at supersonic speeds and it seemed the very sky lashed out against the minion of Doom. Archangel burst out of the building attempting to outflank Onslaught as Storm entered into an aerial chase battle with her target.

Their battle had been going on for the better part of half an hour now. All three of them suffered injuries and were hurting but none were anywhere near ready to back down and give in.

As the trio circled, blasts of plasma and angelic energy were exchanged. Bolts of lightning careened back and forth illuminating the sky as wing blades cut the wind seeking their target.

Storm delivered a lightning backed kick into Onslaught sending her into another building. As the entire structure began to collapse Archangel unleashed another storm of wing blades but she had been going through her supply faster than she could regenerate them finally running dry. Onslaught launched out of the building and caught archangel in a bone crushing punch and spun around to deliver an equally jarring kick into Storm, sending her flying in the other direction.

Rearing her right hand back she grabbed Archangel's left pair of wings and slammed them down upon her knee, shattering the techno-organic servos and spraying blue blood into the air. Before she could fall Onslaught's left talons slammed into the left side of Archangel, digging through flesh deep enough grasp her spine.

Archangel screamed in pain as she was lifted up by her backbone and Onslaught prepared to tear into her stomach to find her core. With the last bit of her strength, Archangel's right wings slammed into her side tearing deep into the flesh and shredding her armor apart. Storm broke out of her uncontrolled flight and started charging her inner energies realizing her partner was in dire straits.

Onslaught could not concentrate on tearing out the core as the pain from having two wing blades dug into her side overloaded her senses. Instead she backhanded her hard while still grasping the broken wings. The force tore them out of her back and sent her towards the ground.

While her right wings were impaled into the side of Onslaught, some of her projectile wing blades had grown back some digging deep into the flesh, and the sudden jarring force of them getting ripped out again from the backhand caused much of Onslaught's flesh there to become shredded. Even as Archangel fell she was nullifying Onslaught's AT Field.

With so much flesh torn asunder, Onslaught's core was exposed. She turned back towards Storm in time to see the massive lightning enriched particle beam that was "The Thunder God Special" unleash its full potential. Too stunned with pain the beam struck her directly, and without an AT Field, it passed through her with no resistance at all, destroying her core.

For a few moments she floated there with a look of utter shock on her face, realizing she had just been defeated before finally falling out of the sky.

Archangel dug her metallic fingers into a nearby building to slow her fall. The sound from the stone was like a thousand fingernails across chalkboards. As she stopped she looked back while grasping her wounded side and watched Onslaught's fall.

Her body hit the ground hard, and for a moment she still lived, blood trailing from her mouth as her hand reached up towards Storm in a last show of defiance before finally collapsing.

Storm helped Archangel down to the ground as her side was finally beginning to regenerate, but it took more energy than she currently had left. She collapsed on her stomach and curled a bit on her right side, using her wings to cover her slim frame.

"Are you going to be okay?" Storm asked worriedly.

"I will… endure… Storm. Do… not worry about me…"

"Let me at least get you to safety… this area is not secure."

Storm scooped her up and flew to Forge's camp.

**

* * *

Elsewhere**

Colossus and Spirit in the meantime were busy pummeling the hell out of each other. Angelic blasts of energy did nothing to faze the tin soldier, forcing Spirit to focus on dealing direct physical damage anyway she could. Colossus's strength was incredible, and any successful blow landed against Spirit was painful to say the least.

Spirit tried to get airborne and that proved to be a mistake as Colossus was able to leap very high and slam her back down to earth again. Without the ability to use her wings, they were one more appendage Colossus could grab in combat to keep her nearby, and he took advantage of this, pulling her in and beating on her relentlessly with his right hand. Her body felt like it was going to collapse as he slammed his fist into her stomach again and again. She tried to get free but he head butted her hard causing her to see stars and then red as another shot burst a blood vessel in her head.

Summoning up her energy she hit Colossus point blank with a Halo Blast but barely stunned him. He did let go of her wing and she again tried desperately to take to the air to get away from him. Too much more of this punishment and she wouldn't survive it.

She only got twenty feet in the air when Colossus leapt after her grabbing her by the front and slamming her down on her back again. Both wing bones snapped on impact but it didn't hurt as much as it could have; she was ready for it.

Spirit knew she couldn't escape this time and felt this was the only chance she had to enact her plan. She prayed she was right.

Colossus reared his fist back when they hit the ground and Spirit cried out in pain. Her hair lost its angelic color and her wings faded away leaving a costumed girl lying on the ground beneath Colossus.

Colossus lowered his fist, and smiled slightly. He finally managed to defeat her. Before killing her though, he simply had to know if this was someone he knew. Certainly her dark brown hair was familiar in some way… as were those… freckles…

Realizing hit him like a smithing hammer on an unfinished sword. He carefully placed a hand behind the girl's head and used his free hand to remove her mask.

"Hik… Hikari?" he paused as the horror of what he has done began to overtake him. "No… I couldn't have…"

As he began to lean back, ready to get off of her, her eyes suddenly opened. The device given to her by Forge was hidden within her skirt and she quickly retrieved it in a smooth motion. Before Colossus could react to this sudden change of event Hikari applied it to the middle of his forehead and depressed the button at the same time. As fate would have it, it stuck on the first try and sent the shutdown pulse into his head. The signal, though weak, reverberated within his metal skull, reflecting back and caused every nanite in his head to overload simultaneously.

It momentarily stunned him causing him to drop out of his metal form. Now just Toji he placed a hand on his head but it was quickly brushed aside. Before he could figure out why, Hikari was kissing him.

This shock was the last one needed to finally knock him out of his trance. His entire time spent in class 2-A he always looked at her as something untouchable, but someone he cared about. Though he heard rumors that she had cared for him too, he could never believe it. What would an organized and driven class rep want with a goof off jock like himself? He felt so undeserving of her, but now… now that she was spilling her soul to him, he had no choice but to accept reality. She didn't care about who he was back then, or what he became now, she still loved him.

When that reality set in, the kiss became mutual and both children finally got what they wanted in this world, someone to share their soul with. At their parting, Hikari laid her head against his chest as his strong arms encircled her, gently holding her to him.

"You never gave up on me," Toji mused. "Thank you."

She pressed herself into him tighter. "I'd never abandon you. I just wish you would have had the courage to come to me."

"What did I know of love?"

The sounds of Doom Infantry closing cut off their moment of peace. Toji quickly go off of her and transformed back into Colossus and Spirit fully recovered. No long connected to the Doom Collective, the infantry opened fire immediately on both of them.

As Colossus charged the line and Spirit took to the air above him, the Doom Infantry soon realized just how outclassed they were.

**

* * *

Minutes Later**

Storm was exhausted, but she was still flying. To her that was all that mattered. At least half of Doom's Infantry was eliminated by Rogue, She-Hulk and Bishop. Archangel was recovering under the watchful eyes of Ms Fantastic and Forge, and Spirit was successful in releasing Toji from his fate, and he had turned on his own troops as if realizing his sins and seeking redemption for them.

It was going well so far. With Onslaught defeated, and Colossus on their team, Doom was out of Generals, meaning he had to take control of the battle himself. But that was what bothered her.

"Where is he?"

**

* * *

Base Camp**

Forge's sentries were running dry as the next wave of Doom Infantry assaulted the base camp.

"Ok, this is nuts," Ms Fantastic observed. "Why are they all coming here? We're not that important of a target are we?"

Forge held up his weapon in gattling mode after wiping out another small division. He checked his energy supply and realized he was beginning to run out. A cold feeling entered his body.

"He's wearing us down," he said dryly.

One of the sentries exploded into a fire ball nearby. The three at the camp turned in that direction and saw the last thing they wanted to see approaching the camp… Doctor Doom himself. Forge reached for his comlink when suddenly a burst of static erupted from it. The other sentries suddenly sparked out and shut down, their aerial counterparts falling from the sky.

"EMP," Forge thought glumly. "No backup."

"I have to admit," Doom stated casually, "you're team puts up quite the fight. But I have at least 2 more battalions on their way to support, and I know you're supplies and your strength are about out."

"You were just wearing us down," Tabris observed.

"Quite right Tabris," he said. "I see angels are not all mindless beasts who's only purpose is to be a reoccurring nuisance."

"Whatever you do Doom, you won't win!" Forge shouted. "X-Factor will-." He was cut off as a bolt of raw power from Doom's let hand slammed into his chest and threw him back into the truck, hard. He was instantly unconscious as he lacked the endurance of the other super-powered individuals there.

"Forge!" Ms Fantastic shouted in shock.

"More importantly, I was talking," Doom said even more casually. "I hate being interrupted. Now then, where was I? Oh yes."

Ms Fantastic was at Forge's side immediately checking for vital signs. He was alive, just unconscious. Her gaze glared at Doctor Doom.

"At this point in time you'll have to consider you're options carefully. I can kill you all easily enough, or you can surrender in which case you won't die… yet."

Ms Fantastic got back up taking off her useless goggles. "I'll kill you for this!" she yelled.

"Is that you Lieutenant Ibuki?" Doom questioned. "I was wondering why you never came back to work. It would appear your interests and the interests of NERV are now in conflict with each other. As per the NERV Official Code of Ethics… you're fired."

He unleashed a double blast into Ibuki. It hurt and drove her down to her knees again but she still looked back and glared, getting back to her feet. Tabris unleashed his AT Blade again creating a silvery glow around the weapon.

"We're not going to surrender Doom," Tabris threatened. "We're going to kill you."

"You can try, little angel… you can try."

**

* * *

In the Skies Above**

Storm landed one of the taller buildings overlooking the city. With any luck She-Hulk and her group should be wrapping up their business in their side of the city and moving on. In the distance, Storm caught a glance at what looked like planes.

"Has the JSSDF finally sent reinforcements?" she asked herself until she realized that each of the planes had a large white object on their undersides.

As the planes flew over the city she could clearly see they were marked with the icon of SEELE. Plugs slipped into waiting backs and the covering armor slid into position. As once the 9 planes dropped their payload which was in free fall for a moment before massive white wings sprung from them.

"Oh no," Storm whispered in horror, realizing what she was seeing. "The EVA Series…":

**

* * *

To Be Concluded…

* * *

A/N: **Please hold all reviews until the end of the story


	24. The Perfect Storm, Part III

**Tempest Aterna**

**XXIV: Dark Storm, Part III**

* * *

She-Hulk finished with the last platoon of Doom's forces in the area and looked up in time to see nine white figures circling the city. Immediately she knew this wasn't going to be good. There would be much smashing very soon.

**

* * *

Base Camp**

A series of explosions rocked the camp as Doom began to unleash his power against the two that stood before him. Dragging the battle away from the fallen Forge, Ms Fantastic ran left around Doom drawing his fire.

Doom levitated a few feet off the ground and continued unleashing a barrage of mirco missiles. Tabris circled behind and dove from above, but Doom was far too fast for him. He evaded the blade thrust and grabbed Tabris by the throat. Spines ejected above Doom's knuckles on his gauntlet before firing back in delivering a short but intense electrical discharge into the angel. Tabris blacked out immediately and was thrown away.

Ms Fantastic saw this and grit her teeth. Unless Tabris woke up, or Archangel managed to regenerate quickly, she was alone against Doom, and that wasn't an encouraging thought.

Doom spun back in her direction and unleashed a torrent of energy from both of his hands. Ms Fantastic quickly dodged the attack and activated her flight pack, flying at him as quickly as possible. Her right hand transformed into orange stone as she delivered a devastating right cross followed by a quick back hand. Before he could fly back from the attack much further, her legs extended like rubbery tendrils wrapping him up and dragging him back in as she started pummeling him again.

Doom didn't seem as if he was reacting as much as she'd like to getting pummeled with stone fists. As she reared her weapons back again he got his hands lose and unleashed a cloud of blue gas at point blank range. Ms Fantastic instantly felt he air around her freeze and realized he was super-cooling the air. She tried at that point to break off from him but her body had already begun to get brittle. One quick strike from him shattered most of her lower body causing her to scream out in agony as he got loose.

"Did you really think you could defeat me?" He hissed, watching her torso writhe.

Ms Fantastic grit her teeth. She could still feel her individual pieces though they were now disconnected and still frozen. She wasn't sure if she was going to survive this kind of damage but she wasn't going into shock as far as she could tell, so that was a good sign. But she also knew in her current condition, she would not be able to fight him, and decided to settle for a last act of defiance.

"Flame on," she whispered and what remained of her body ignited. She threw her arms forward unleashing a massive stream of fire while throwing her AT Field forward to hopefully erode Doom's. Apparently he wasn't expecting this. Though his costume was mostly fire resistance his body was not and the flames hurt a lot. He could feel the outer layer of flesh, all the real flesh that remained on his body quickly burning up as the temperature increased to levels that could cause the air itself to ignite around him.

He felt parts of his armor melt and realized he needed to get out. Using a trick he barely ever pulled, he teleported away from the flames. Fifty feet away he reappeared and quickly sprayed himself with a small amount of the gas he used to freeze Ms Fantastic. Once the flames were out he noticed much of the cloth of his outfit was partially consumed and some of his armor had melted to his body. Some of his tricks were still intact but he didn't know how well they would work.

He looked back where the torso of Ms Fantastic should have been, and saw nothing. Where the shattered pieces of her body were, there were small puddles of LCL. Doom figured it was her last gasp and she was gone since he didn't even sense her anymore.

As he turned to leave he was suddenly perforated with numerous wing blades. Growling in pain he spun around to see Archangel leaning against the truck used by X-Factor. Her right side wings quickly regenerating the blades, but Doom could see only a part of one of her left wings. Doom realized she was wounded and for the moment alone.

He closed the distance to her quickly as she tried to ignite the air around him as other angels have done in the past but when that failed she quickly realized she didn't even have enough energy to raise an AT Field. Doom grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the truck. She tried to get her right wings to strike but doom managed to grab them with his metal hand. With a flick of his wrist, an f-LS blade shot out of his gauntlet into her wing, effectively pinning her to the truck. The metal pierced a major nerve cluster sending a feeling into Archangel that was the equivalent of having a fingernail ripped out by pliers.

Another blade from his other gauntlet fired into her through her throat, destroying her voice box and making breathing difficult, especially when Doom let her go to be suspended by the spike of metal.

"I made you Rei, did you think it so wise to betray me like this?" he asked, of course not expecting an answer. The gasping and gagging sounds made him feel better. "You and your kind got the better of me. I never expected that. But in the end, your struggles were futile."

A sudden dark feeling caught Doctor Doom and he looked up, seeing one of the MP Eva's gliding over the city.

"The SEELE council is dead, they shouldn't be here," he observed. Suddenly he felt a great pain in his chest and realized he had just been pierced through with an AT Blade. He fired his jetpack but the damage from the flames left by Ms Fantastic caused the fuel to rupture. It still had the desired effect as the explosion and blew Tabris off of him. He checked his chest but found his Core was undamaged… the angel missed.

"You had how much time to take that shot," Doom asked as he shed his backpack, "and you still missed? Pathetic… I was going to keep you alive for research but that will no longer be necessary." Reaching under what was left of his cloak he extracted a shaft of metal that extended to over 6' in length. Archangel saw that one end split open revealing a twist of metal that opened into parallel points reminiscent of a tuning fork, and realized he had made man-sized versions of Lancea Longini.

Tabris tried to get up but between the beating he received before and having the Doom Pack explode in his face all he could do was project a quick cluster of AT Shuriken at Doom. His heart sank as Doom quickly spun the proxy-lance in front of him, easily blocking all the attacks in one go. With the same motion he spun around and slammed the lance into his chest.

Tabris screamed as the double points tore though flesh and bone, but the pain lasted only moments as one of the prongs hit his core and punched straight through it. With a gasp his AT Field failed and he stopped breathing.

"No," Archangel tried to whisper as she felt the last seal break. The final messenger had been defeated, and the door was now unlocked.

"Now," Doom whispered, "Where was I?"

He felt an energy pattern erupt behind him and quickly turned to see what it was. Before his mind could register what he saw, he felt a clawed hand slam into his chest tearing through his organic steel body like a hot knife though butter.

"Thanks… 'boss'", Exodus whispered. "I was waiting for you to do that."

Doctor Doom groaned as Exodus's claw dug deeper into his body.

"Don't act so surprised. You knew this was coming, after all… I couldn't have done it without you."

With an explosion of blue blood Exodus ripped his claw out of Doctor Doom's body causing him to stagger back. In Exodus's hand was what he had been looking for… the Core of Adam, the glittering shiny orb of red seemed to pulse with an inner light.

"It's too bad I became Adam's successor in the collective," he continued, "otherwise this would have been all I needed to complete the ritual. As it happens I still need an angel… and there is only one left."

Doom's body fell to the ground, a puddle of blue blood surrounding him.

Exodus pushed the orb of power into his stomach with a grunt, energy seemed to pool into him from everywhere at once. His eyes turned gold as an aura of pure white light surrounded him as he screamed out in apparent pain. Within moments both his core and Adam's core became as one and the pain subsided. As he spoke his voice seemed to echo as if there were two voices.

"Better," he said at length. "Now to finish this once and for all…" He flew up and made for NERV.

**

* * *

Elsewhere**

She-Hulk had just finished destroying another contingent of Doom's troops when suddenly the latest wave of troops simply stopped moving.

"What the…" Bishop said as he realized they had simply stopped advancing. Then one by one they began to explode into LCL.

"Doom is dead," Rogue replied. "And Exodus has Adam's core."

"What?!" Bishop exclaimed. "How do you know that?"

"I sense him… he's near." She walked towards the west a few paces.

"But then why hasn't Third Impact begun yet?"

"He was Adam's replacement in the collective," Rogue explained. "The way I understand it, there were 2 Adams effectively; Exodus and Doom. Now that they are one again, he can begin Third Impact, but he still needs an Angel. Not a Nephilum though. And now there is only one place he can find one." Rogue took flight immediately.

"Wait!" Bishop yelled, and then the ground shook with a huge impact. She-Hulk growled and he turned to see what had landed… and looked up. "Not good," he whispered.

Towering above him, slowly retracting its wings was EVA-07, its vulture like head, colored lips and eternal grin made it appear as a mad clown that leered over the city.

She-Hulk immediately roared her challenge causing the massive monstrosity of white to leer down at her. She leapt into the air swiftly climbing its body. It tried to grab her and get her off but her nearly simian climb was fast and difficult to counter. Bishop wasn't sure how much energy he had left but realized even if he had enough, he was not going to be able to help against these monstrosities.

At least not like this… Bishop ran for the nearest access point to NERV, hoping he had enough time.

**

* * *

Base Camp**

Archangel carefully reached up to the spike of metal in her throat and tried to grasp it. The extra weight on her throat made it feel like it was tearing more and she barely managed a gasp of pain. As she was about to try again, she felt something wrap around her waist and raise her ever so slightly. Then she watched the spike pull its way out of her throat. The other one stuck in her wing was removed a moment later and she was let down. The upper half of Ms Fantastic appeared.

"Relax," she said gently as she tried to hold the broken angel up to prevent weight from being placed on her still regenerating wings.

In a moment, Archangel's neck regenerated and she was able to whisper at least. "How did you survive?

"Invisibility," Ms Fantastic replied. "Not a trick I use often, but sometimes it helps.

"And your lower half?"

"Well, let's say I was able to regenerate the damage thanks to the nanites in my body… but uh… they didn't fix my costume."

"Oh," Archangel said with a slight color change to her face.

"Its okay," she dismissed. "Not like anybody can see anything."

Their heads turned towards the sounds of battle in the distance and they saw the MP EVA's appearing to fight smaller targets.

"We better leave this to those that are in better condition and better able to fight," Ms Fantastic commented.

"I… I hope we survive this," she whispered. "I think I would have liked to have found what you and Forge have together."

"Ugh," Forge groaned as he began to sit up. "What did I miss?" He realized he was lying on something relatively soft which happened to be a sleeping bag. His stomach was still hurting but he knew that would pass. His eyes trained around the camp and saw the body of Doctor Doom. "You got 'em?"

"No," Ms Fantastic replied. "Exodus did."

"Shit," he replied. "So it's over then. Only a matter of time now." The sound of the distant battle stirred him and he turned towards the war. "But we're not done yet it looks like."

"I still have hope," Ms Fantastic replied.

**

* * *

Elsewhere**

Storm dodged the massive sweeping weapon again taking her shots where should could. The massive monstrosities that were the MP EVA's however were proving difficult to take down, and She-Hulk seemed to have the better time dealing with them.

She watched as Spirit dropped Colossus onto of one of them. It tried to tear him off but he already had a good grip on the thing's throat. Uncoiling a chain he must of retrieved on the ground he threw it around the massive head and hooked it on. The monster thrashed again as Colossus swung from its back around it pulling the chain tight. As the monster dropped to its hands and knees, colossus yanked on it as hard as possible causing the massive head to snap in a direction that was not comfortable. Its neck broke that instant causing the unit to collapse hard.

"That's one," Storm thought as she dodged another attempt to grab her. She summoned a massive tornado to hold the monster still and prepared to fire Thor's Hammer into the core. Another unit quickly gained on Storm's position but before it could get to her, it was slammed by a Halo Wave throwing it back and away. Spirit pursued it as Storm let Thor's Hammer fly. The nine bolts of concentrated electric death slammed the core and shattered it apart. Now unable to hold itself due to death, its body was flung into the air by the powerful twister. As she released it to let the body fly, she was already looking for more targets.

She-Hulk pummeled the monster she was facing and swung up onto its back. With an impressive show of strength she ripped off the plug cover as the monster reached back to grab her. She instead grabbed a finger and pulled the hand back. With a savage jerk, she ripped the finger off and threw it away before turning her attention back towards the plug. She ripped it opened and reached in grabbing the dummy pilot. She took little note of the fact that it looked like Tabris and tore the clone in half, the unit quickly shut down and collapsed at the death of its controller.

It was at that moment, when three had gone down that Storm sensed that Third Impact was near. The sky churned with multicolored clouds that whirled despite her efforts to control them.

Sensing the Angel responsible, she flew as fast as the winds could carry her. Moments later she realized she'd been had.

She had returned to the Camp in time to see Forge standing up.

"What happened?" she demanded, then she saw the body of Doctor Doom. "Oh, no."

"Unfortunately," Ms Fantastic replied now with a blanket of some form wrapped around her lower half. "And Doom killed Tabris. The last seal is broken."

Storm couldn't believe it. The end was near and she had been unable to stop it. She sadly walked over to the body of Tabris. He looked so peaceful in death, despite the lance that was sticking out of his chest. As if a courtesy for the dead, she grasped the spear and pulled it out of the Angel.

To everyone's astonishment he suddenly started breathing again. Storm dropped the lance and helped him sit up. "You're alive?" she said. More a happy observation then a question, and held the angel to her as a comfort.

"Doom didn't know… I have two cores," he whispered as the holes in his chest began to close up. "But the seal is still broken… my primary core was destroyed." He coughed and took a moment to steady his ragged breath. "You must stop him. He's going after Lilith, the only pure angel left that can initiate Third Impact. She awaits… deep within the Black Moon… what you call NERV HQ. There is a chamber beneath called Terminal Dogma… she's there." He pushed her back a bit and placed his right hand over his chest.

In horror, Storm watched as his hand slipped inside his body like it simply phased though his skin. He grunted in pain as his hand grasped something and started to pull.

"What are you doing?!" Storm exclaimed.

"Completing you…" His hand extracted the largest shard of his shattered primary core. "I'm giving you a portion of my power. You'll need every advantage against Exodus. He has now become the true aspect of Adam in this world." He used his left arm to pull Storm closer and began to phase the shard of his core into her body. Storm cried out in pain but found herself unable to resist the intrusion into her body. Within moments the hand retracted and she felt the shard combine with her own, strengthening her angelic half.

Her body began to twitch and write as the energy overtook her body. Her costume melted away in the blink of an eye leaving her threadbare for a few moments before a layer of silver seemed to cover her body.

When the shimmer dissipated, her body was covered from neck to toe with a layer of silver cloth, skin tight to her body. Her original cloak design was there but was now also silver in color. All the metal parts of her outfit where gone with the exception of a pair of bracelets of gold that seemed to act as the dividing line between her sleeves and her gloves. Her hair was longer and wilder, as if constantly blowing in the wind, and her eyes were as white as the most brilliant flash of lightning. Extra cloth bunched around her shoulders and over her collarbones as if an additional support when she flew and everything was trimmed in a thin line of gold.

At the end of the transformation she began breathing hard and then looked at herself. Her angelic side had been strengthened but she felt her human half had also become stronger. Tabris was right, she was in perfect balance now, and complete.

She picked up the Proxy Lance and it too began to change in her hand. Lightning jumped along its shaft as the prongs seemed to become sharper. Along the entire length of the weapon, Norse runes of power appeared glowing an electric blue, as the entire weapon shifted into a more silvery metal.

Storm stood up to her full height planting the back tip of the spear into the ground, the sound of the blade piercing asphalt was as a thunder crack. She had truly become the God of Thunder and with her power she had forged her Gungnir. Lightning engulfed the spear and it shrunk down, reduced to energy and stored within her.

"You are ready," Tabris said. "Go now."

With a crack of thunder she took to the sky, and flew directly for the nearest access point into NERV she knew about. Her only hope was that she could make it in time.

**

* * *

NERV**

Exodus destroyed the elevator with a blast of pure angelic force before diving into the shaft. He used telekinesis to rip open the doors of the desired floor. There in the final hallway he saw Rogue. She looked like she was waiting for him.

"You don't know when to quit do you?" Exodus mused.

"Hello… Adam."

"I'm surprised you still have the guts to try to face me considering you know what I am now," he said.

"You hurt me," she whispered. "You cursed me. Did you think I wouldn't want to come back for a little revenge?"

"Pointless," he replied. "In a few minutes I will begin Third Impact and then we can discuss our lack of a relationship. For the moment, stop wasting my time and stand aside."

Instead Rogue approached him. "You stole my ability to touch another living soul Adam," she said in almost a whisper. "I know my life will likely end when you have finished your task. But there is something I wanted to give you before you initiated Armageddon."

"What?"

Before Exodus could react, Rogue jumped on him and kissed him hard. That same moment, she activated the bracers. Exodus didn't know what was happening at first then suddenly he realized he was being drained of his lovely power.

He struggled with getting Rogue off of him but she kept herself fastened, wrapping her legs around his midsection and closing them like a vice. With his entire body covered in a costume for the most part, Rogue knew this was the only way her plan would have actually worked. From here, she could drain as much as possible while being difficult to dislodge. He finally managed to tear her off when the bracers beeped that they were out of power.

She hit the ground on her butt and started getting back up immediately. Exodus wasn't certain how much of his god-like energy she managed to drain off, but he certainly didn't feel any weaker.

"We'll talk about this later, young lady," he scolded. "I for one would love to know how you managed to counter my immunity to your touch. But that can wait." Exodus teleported… or rather he tried to teleport and realized he could no longer do that. "What?!" he yelled and Rogue chuckled at him.

"Did you forget what gifts you gave me?" she said triumphantly. "Now, I'm gonna kick your ass." She teleported to point blank and delivered an uppercut to Exodus hard enough to send him several floors up.

"Eins!"

Before he landed she appeared in front of him and delivered a spinning kick to the midsection sending him though another wall.

"Zwei!"

Exodus found himself in a lab, before he could get his bearings Rogue appeared again and delivered a massive kick to his stomach.

"Drei!"

She flew after him and slammed him into a wall.

"Vier!"

Exodus tried to throw a punch but she deflected the attack and slammed her fist into his midsection hard.

"Fünf!"

Then a massive backhand that send him through the wall again.

"Sechs!"

Exodus tried to recover and was bashed down hard for his troubles…

"Sieben!"

…Then kicked through the wall again, this time finding he entered a cavern that could have been part of terminal dogma. The air smelled of LCL but there was no sign of Lilith anywhere.

"Acht!"

Rogue appeared before him again and delivered a nasty right cross that snapped his head back.

"NEUN!"

Her fist reared back intending to punch straight through Exodus's chest but her arm was suddenly grabbed. Exodus stared her in the eye and whispered, "Zehn." Then he delivered a head butt that caused her to see red.

Before she could recover, Exodus began to repay her in kind for the beating he just took pummeling her body relentlessly until he heard the flesh beneath her jumpsuit tear, and her bones begin to snap. She cried out in pain, her bodily integrity breaking down under the relentless assault.

His hand became clawed and he reached back, intending to destroy her core when a massive stroke of blue lightning slammed him hard throwing him into a wall and making him twitch a moment before he recovered. Floating off of the wall he looked to see what it was.

Rogue had managed to land on the shore of the LCL lake and quickly collapsed in a ball of pain, but floating in midair was his first and true nemesis.

"Ramiel," he whispered with venom on his tongue.

"Adam," she called back. "This madness ends tonight."

"Love the new costume Ramiel," he said sarcastically. "But no matter how much you change your look, you are just one of my children and nothing more. Worse yet… you're less than one of my children because you bound yourself to one of those inferiors… to a LILUM!" The last word he spoke was punctuated with an angry yell.

"No worse then you have done… father."

"I did it to survive… incubating my core within the Lilum Gendo Ikari until the time was right, and failing him the moment I saw my release. Vahu was the instrument of that release and now he and I are one as it should be." Bolts of energy jumped across his body. "I am human only in physical form. I am fully angel. Certainly you sense that."

"I do," she replied. "And that's why I know there will be no reasoning with your father."

"Why did you betray us Ramiel."

"Because I saw the purity in the hearts of the Lilum… I felt their honor… I felt their capacity to love. That is why I chose to bind myself to the Lilum Mayumi Yamagishi. That is why we have become as one and why I surrendered my soul to her."

Exodus's eyes widened. "You're not speaking as Ramiel."

"This is what Ramiel wanted to tell you, father." She stated. "This is what he wanted to say, his words. He gave up his fully angelic existence so that he could truly understand us, so that he could become like us because he knew that with us he could find what he wanted… he wanted to feel." Storm placed a hand over her heart, feeling the core within her body beating as if it were one. "It was the one thing that you would never allow your children to have… Why? Were you afraid they would abandon you if they could feel individual love? Where you afraid you would be left alone within the White Moon forever if every Angel that would ever exist was not bound to you."

"LIES!" he snapped. "My children are ever a part of me… as are you. You speak of feelings, but what do you think your betrayal did to me?! Your own Father!"

"To be fair, you're probably closer to a step father to me. But it doesn't matter. I hate you… I hate what you stand for… I hate the fact that you want to end the world in your own selfishness… I hate you because it was your kind that took my blood from me. My mother died at your hands, both during second impact and then the murder of my foster mother. You and those angels that stayed loyal to you only know how to do one thing… destroy everything you touch. And that, father… is why it ends tonight."

"Do you really think you can kill me?"

"We're about to find out." She said as she raised her hand and seemed to gather lightning from the surrounding air.

After a moment of this, Exodus clenched his fists, Storm's hand dropped and they both flew at each other at incredible speed throwing their first punch at the same moment. Their fists collided creating a shockwave that pulverized rock and threw up a wave of LCL below them as it was momentarily parted.

Red eyes glared into white orbs for a moment, and as the wave of LCL crashed down below them, the battle truly began. It was a mutual point blank physical assault that seemed as intricate as it was desperate. Fists were thrown, kicks were made and both combatants locked themselves into a midair dance of death. Exodus managed the first direct hit across Storm's face. As she spun her closed fist lashed out and struck Exodus directly. As he spun he kicked her away firing off his eyebeams in an attempt to finish her quickly.

Storm recovered and used her hand to block the beams of energy, focusing her AT Field to the point of her palm and deflecting the deadly beam. The moment he let off, she unleashed a massive bolt of electric death that failed to strike. Blasts of angelic power flew from Exodus's hands as Storm was forced to dodge. What began as midair fisticuffs turned into a dogfight as both flew around stalagmites at high speed taking pot shots where possible. Exodus at last managed to close the distance slamming into Storm and sending them both back into a section of NERV Central.

In the tight corridors here, physical assault became the most effect form of combat again and Storm was all too happy to deliver a set of devastating kicks to Exodus, sending him through a nearby wall. Exodus launched himself back though the same wall immediately, the shockwave left by his passing destroying the room.

He collided with Storm planting his fist into her stomach hard. She coughed but kept her composure as she delivered a sharp knee into his chest and a point blank blast of raw electrical power that stunned him for a moment. Using her speed to her advantage she pummeled him with over a dozen hits before he regained his balance and started striking back

For a time they were trading blows, Storm would strike him several times in succession then Exodus would strike back, slamming Storm with massive hits and point blank blasts of angelic power. Storm summoned a powerful wind which threw Exodus back a bit before launching into another series of devastatingly quick strikes.

The moment Exodus was thrown back again, he slammed his hands together and blasted Storm with a double fisted blast of raw energy that threw her though a ridiculously thick wall.

Storm found herself in the Evangelion Graveyard, surrounded by failed EVA attempts. She only had a moment to take in the creepiness of the room before Exodus flew into her at high speed throwing her into a particularly massive EVA Skeleton. Massive spinal bones flew in multiple directions as Storm seemed to go into a mid-air three-point stance to slow her travel. Exodus flew at her again as Storm locked onto an old EVA faceplate with her magnetic powers and threw it into him at speeds exceeding Mach 2.

It hit him but didn't move him instead he used his telekensis to do what she did a dozen times over, launching massive bones, limbs and sheets of armor. Storm flew at him dodging the huge projectiles in once case, seeming to run along one of the armor plates as it was inverted and magnetically pushing away others to get in range. She slammed into Exodus throwing him through another wall and following after the body. As she reached him Exodus managed to grab her and fly upwards, using her back as a battering ram as they slammed though level after level of the huge complex. Finally they stopped and Exodus threw her into another wall. Storm idly realized she was lying on a map of the world when she stopped.

Exodus followed her in and realized they had somehow managed to find Gendo's Office. He felt it somewhat ironic but put the thought out of his mind as he picked Storm back up and threw her though the window. It was the very same window that months ago, he himself was thrown through by Doctor Doom.

In midair inside the Geo-Front, Storm managed to stop her movement again. Exodus flew directly at her forcing her to dodge. Exodus gave chase as they flew towards the buildings hanging upside-down over the Geo-Front. Storm dodged as blasts of angelic energy flew at her, striking buildings and the lowest layer of the front's armor. Storm spun around so that she was flying back first and returned fire, striking several floors of another building as Exodus continued to dodge her attacks.

Below them, metal, glass, and concrete rained down upon the Geo-Front's grass and trees. A particularly large chunk of falling concrete was grasped by the telekinetic hand of Exodus and launched back up at Storm. She dodged barely and the concrete hit the roof with enough force to get stuck in the armor layer, only a few pieces of concrete falling off of it. Storm used magnetism to rip more I-Beams out of the abandoned hanging buildings to use as projectiles while dodging both angelic fire and massive chunks of buildings.

Dodging Storms attempts to tear him apart with metal Exodus raised both hands and telekinetically ripped an entire building from its hanging foundation, and threw out towards Storm with great force. But rather than dodge it, Storm flew at it as fast as she could, focusing her AT Field to the front. She punched though the flying structure out the other side taking note of the rain falling though the hole left behind by the removed structure. Exodus's eyes flashed, igniting the air around Storm. It hurt but she pushed through to the hole, turning upward within the water stream and raising a hand skyward. Exodus flew at her, knowing what she was trying, but was too late to stop it. Streams of electrical fury flew into her hand as she unleashed Thor's Hammer. Exodus was at point blank range when it was fired, and he had no chance to dodge the attack. It threw him back, lancing him with heavy electrical fury but when it was over, he was still airborne and now very upset.

Flying at her even faster he stopped her from doing it a second time by a double foot kick to her midsection which threw her far from the shaft of sky. Before she could recover he delivered a massive strike across her face and grabbed her by the front of her outfit. He then started pummeling her hard. Blue blood shot from her mouth and nose at each hit.

As Storm slumped over in his hand he extended a single f-LS blade from his left gauntlet and slammed it into her causing her to scream. The hit didn't penetrate her core but skirted off the surface which was enough to cause untold pain. Her right hand grasped the wrist as her left arm began to feel numb.

"I guess you weren't up to the challenge after all," he said triumphantly. "I knew you never had what it took to beat me… But look on the bright side… you'll finally get to rejoin your family." A crooked grin punctuated the last word.

Storm's eyes flashed as she stared into his. Even without corneas, pupils or anything resembling normal parts of a human eye, the contempt was purely visible… as was the determination to win. Her left arm tingled as she forced feeling back into it and grasped his wrist at the pressure point forcing his hand opened.

Exodus fought to keep control over her as her feet came up and she kicked herself off of the blade. The blade brushed her core again and she could almost feel the cracks on its surface.

As Exodus flew back in to get control of the fight Storm struck with a lightning backed punch directly to the chest as hard as she could. The sudden constricting of his airways caused him to choke and cough. She kicked him in the face knocking him back before blasting him with a frozen wind that forced him back.

As he flew back, fighting off Yamir's Frost, Storm threw her right hand up with her wrist bent back and her palm flat as lightning formed into Gungnir in her hand. The prongs instantly twisted together, completing it.

"Say hello to Gendo for me," she said as she threw it at Exodus with all her might. The spear released a shockwave as it flew, accelerating to nearly 5 times the speed of sound. Exodus straightened his fall just in time to see the spear coming and realized he had no chance at all to dodge it. He desperately threw up his AT Field but this didn't slow it down as it hit him directly. And like the mythical hunting spear of Odin for which it was named, it didn't miss its mark, passing straight through his core and out the other side of his body.

The look on Exodus's face was one of utter shock. His mind could not fathom how this could have happened… how a pathetic Nephilum could have defeated him but here was the truth of it… his death was a testament to their power… and the last true angel died, not with a bang but with whimper.

Gungnir lodged itself into the side of the NERV Pyramid, somehow slowing its own progress enough to not pass through it. The body of Exodus fell into the lake outside of it and as it sank, it dissolved into LCL leaving nothing but a trail of orange liquid behind. Within minutes the LCL would have dissipated to the point of being invisible.

Storm dropped to the ground on her feet and keeled over, feeling her body begin repairing the damage to her core. It would be slow and this would hurt for a long time, but she was alive…

Above in Tokyo-3 only two MP EVAs were still alive when Exodus died, two of them defeated by Bishop piloting EVA 01. At the moment of Adam's destruction they shut down and slumped over as if their batteries had run dry. A cry of victory from the remaining JSSDF forces in the city rose above even the thunderstorm that lingered over the city as the multi-colored sky returned to the normal gray tones indicated to any who wondered, that Third Impact had been averted.

"She did it," Shinji whispered. "She won."

Storm looked up towards the single hole in the roof of the Geo-Front and smiled. Finally, after a long bloody struggle, it was over. Ramiel's wish had been fulfilled and the human race had been saved.

But Storm knew that more battles were in her future. The world had changed too much, and it was far too easy for an evil man or woman to become a Supervillain with the power of the angels behind them, especially now that Adam was dead. The energy and power he held had been released into the world just as it had nearly 16 years ago. X-Factor would still be needed… and she would be ready…

* * *

**Tempest Aterna**

**Epilogue: Storm Break**

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In the months following the near miss of Third Impact, NERV was dissolved in its entirety. Salvage from the site was used to fill in the Geo-Front and bury it. Although a full investigation was launched and the cross within Terminal Dogma was found, both the original Lance of Longinus and Lilith were missing. Some surmised that with Third Impact no longer possible Lilith and the Lance were no longer necessary and simply vanished.

The cleanup of the city is still going on. Once the Geo-Front is fully filled in, the real construction can begin, though many believe that the population of the city will still be low considering its awful reputation.

The only living member of the original Doom Guard, Mystique has still not been located. Some believe she may have become a mercenary for hire, but as she is a shapeshifter and can make herself look like anyone, it's doubtful anyone will ever find her unless she wants to be found.

Kaworu Nagisa never recovered his primary core, instead his secondary adapted to become his primary core and he retained most of his angelic powers (he did lose his ability to use telekinesis). But the ordeal changed him fundamentally and he was no longer a full angel. His contact with humans changed him into something closer to a Nephilum. Under the moniker of Silver Samurai, he joined X-Factor as a permanent member leaving the name of Tabris behind him. Despite his responsibilities to the team, he still wandered the world, learning everything he could about the race he now counted himself a part of.

Toji and Hikari grew together in their relationship and planned to get married as soon as both were old enough to do so. Both are still active members of X-Factor as their monikers of Colossus and Spirit respectively.

Although Rei Ayanami was not able to find a significant other in the months following the incident, she remained hopeful. Her emotional output has since been more normalized though she is still subdued and introverted for the most part. Never-the-less, she is finding it easier to express herself all the time. She is still unable to change her form into something more human but she doesn't let this bother her.

Misato Katsuragi spent the month following the incident in a perpetual state of drunk. In her words, it was a celebration of their lives, but Bishop felt was nothing more than an excuse to indulge. He's still trying to get her to quit, but is realizing how lost of a cause it's becoming. Though she managed to master herself as She-Hulk, she still can't seem to speak more than a few words or not refer to herself in third person when thusly changed. It's as if she has a severe dislike for personal pronouns.

Maya Ibuji and Kensuke Aida continued to experiment with high technology. Kensuke discovered that a shard of Arael's soul has somehow joined with him to create a core, but for the sake of Kaworu Nagisa, he is searching for a way to restore her to life with the help of Ritsuko Akagi. Maya is looking forward to the day when Kensuke is old enough to solidify their relationship. She still spends her free time stopping petty crime. Kensuke however, as Forge was chosen to be X-Factor's direct liaison to the Government, a job he takes very seriously. While X-Factor still operates separate from the Government, they are called upon for some of the more difficult jobs, especially when the culprits are likely Nephilum themselves.

Ritsuko Akagi became X-Factor's official doctor. All her cats were moved into their headquarters outside Nagano. Though they sometimes get in the way, aside from Toji's apparent allergy to cats, the entire team enjoys having them.

Asuka Langley Soryu spent nearly 2 months recovering from her injuries but eventually did, becoming a formal member of X-Factor soon after. Part of her remembers what Kaji was like before he became the monster that nearly destroyed the world and she still mourns his passing, realizing the Kaji she knew died before they were reunited on the "Over the Rainbow". She has not dated anyone since his death.

Shinji Ikari remains one of X-Factor's top members and worked with the Governement to oversee the deconstruction of the EVA's, ensuring his mother's spirit could finally rest in peace. He and Mayumi remain closer than ever.

Mayumi Yamagishi remains X-Factor's leader. After her completion from absorbing Tabris's core, the last vestiges of Blackheart's influence on her were expunged, allowing her to move on with her life. She remains very busy, reading as much as she can and spending virtually all of her free time with her fiancé, Shinji. Though she has no further need of glasses, she still wears a pair when powered down because Shinji likes them.

Though the future is uncertain, one thing remains constant… If something truly evil and powerful ever shows it face anywhere on Earth again, they will be there. They are the guardians of Earth, the ones who would face the darkness… they are X-Factor, and at the head there shall always be, the Eternal Storm.

* * *

**Credits

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**

**Character Concepts based on Marvel Comics Characters. Original Versions of these characters are the property of Marvel Comics and their respective creators.**

**Superwomen of EVA created by Orionpax09**

**Tempest Aterna created by Archdruid Sephiroth**

**Storm Concept by Archdruid Sephiroth and Orionpax09 based on the Marvel Comics Character**

**Spirit Concept by Mike313. No Marvel Character was used in the basis of this character and similarities to any existing character is purely coincidental**

**Bishop, Forge, Archangel, Rogue and Silver Samurai Concepts by Archdruid Sephiroth**

**She-Hulk and Ms Fantastic Concepts by Orionpax09**

**Doctor Doom and Exodus Concepts by Archdruid Sephiroth**

**All Original Evangelion characters are property of GAINAX**

**-Special Thanks (in no particular order)-**

**Orionpax09**

**Mike313**

**Belthasar**

**Dennisud**

**Animefan29**

**The Wandering Soul of 313**

**Neferius**

**The 17****th**** Immortal**

**And Anyone Else who has read, reviewed, commented or in anyway shape or form contributed to this project… you know who you are and you all know how hard you rock

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**

**-The End… for now…-**


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